Over time, some life insurance companies change their names, merge with other insurance companies, or sell blocks of policies to other insurance companies. Because of changes like these, it can sometimes be difficult to know which insurance company to contact, for assistance with a life insurance policy that was purchased years ago.
If you are having trouble finding the correct life insurance company, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) recommends the following steps:
1) If you have the life insurance policy, find the full legal name of the insurance company that issued the policy, along with the company's mailing address and phone number. If the phone number is no longer active, you should contact the insurance department in the insurance company's home state. That insurance department will have records of the company's current name, mergers, and other changes, so that you will know which company to contact. NAIC provides a page with links to state insurance departments, at https://content.naic.org/state-insurance-departments
2) If you do not have the insurance policy, perhaps you know the company's name, and the state where the policy was purchased. If so, then use the same map linked above to locate that state's insurance department, which will have records of the company's current name, mergers, and other changes, so that you will know which company to contact.
PLEASE NOTE THAT STATE INSURANCE DEPARTMENTS DO NOT HAVE RECORDS OF SPECIFIC INSURANCE POLICIES. HOWEVER, THEY CAN ASSIST YOU IN LOCATING THE APPROPRIATE INSURANCE COMPANY, AND/OR BY REFERRING YOU TO A LIFE INSURANCE POLICY LOCATOR.