Shropshire is good for a lot of things. Interesting Cases is one of them. It has got another one. Let’s call it the Mystery Policy Case.
The Father loved his daughter. He said he paid Insurance Premiums for her. He did not say how much he paid. He did not say who he paid. He said she would be well off when he died. There was no reason to doubt him. He was not a tease. He meant it. He suffered from cancer, married and died 5 days later. The Widow refuses to co-operate. The Bank Manager is silenced by Data Protection Law.
Every working day Banks Officers use Title Proof Waivers in Small Estate Cases. They do it to get Account Closing Payments to the Estate Beneficiaries. Also, every working day Bank Officers take Crime Prevention Initiatives.
The Child is old enough to understand what is happening but too young to do anything. Mother and the Maternal Grand Mother investigated. They met the Bank Manager. The Spoken Words and the Body Language were Inconsistent. The Spoke Words were that Data Protection Law prevents Any Disclosure. The Body Language said Keep Going. If it is possible to shout without making a noise the Body Language did it. It is likely a Data Protection Breach Investigation would get a Dogged Denial by the Bank Manager of Body Language that was an Investigation Encouragement.
The Mystery Policy Case is very important. It is the tip of an iceberg. For generations, Grandparents and Godparents opened Bank Accounts as Trustees for Children. They were Dormant Accounts. Chancellor of the Exchequer Mr Brown wanted a reputation for being an Economic Wizard. He told the Top Bankers to stop sending Account Statements for the Dormant Accounts, take the money, return it as Bank Income and claim Profit Bonuses. The Top Bankers did. A Lucky Few had Bank Statements that enabled them to get Theft Recovery Payments.
Good Management of Probate Estates needs Written Enquiries to discover the Asset and Liabilities. It needs General Enquiries in in the Enquiry Documents just in case there is a Dormant Bank Account or a Policy Trust. It is a good idea to check whether Old Bank Statements are evidence of a Dormant Account. Keep the originals. Let the bank have copies.