Life insurance is one of the investments most sought after by savers. If some are lucky enough to unlock it before their death, for others, it is recovered by their spouse or child after their departure. This retiree from Biarritz had to wait 57 years before receiving the life insurance funds from his father, who died in 1967.
This story, relayed by South West, is that of a family of four brothers and sisters, who were unaware of the existence of their late father’s life insurance. It was by pure coincidence that one of them, who currently lives in the old family home, learned of this savings, thanks to a letter.
This letter, on which the letterhead of the Axa insurance company appears, included the words “ Request contact », which challenged the Biarrot. His brother, Alain Rozès, aged 76, who told the story to our colleagues at South Westrecounts their astonishment when, upon opening this paper, they discovered that it was their late father’s life insurance.
As a reminder, this should have gone to their late mother, who died in 2022. According to Alain Rozès, his mother did not claim the jackpot, probably unaware that her husband had put money aside during his lifetime. However, he criticizes the insurance company at the time for not having made an effort to pay him this money. “It wouldn’t have been very complicated: she didn’t change her address. Vianne’s house, in Lot-et-Garonne, where we grew up, remained hers throughout her life. “, he remarked.
A meager savings of 720 euros
It was finally on May 6, 2024 that the heirs received what was due to them from their deceased father’s life insurance. “ 144 euros and 20 cents! “, this is the amount received by each brother and sister, declared Alain. The retiree confides that he did not expect a larger amount.
“My father did not have a large income and only had to contribute small amounts. Having sold life insurance for a few months at the start of my professional life, I know that it brings in ridiculous amounts of money. And over time, people very often forget the very existence of past contracts. “, he confided.
He also says that he had to contact the insurance company several times to receive this savings. He had to contact the insurer several times by telephone and send an email to speed up the procedure. Finally, Alain confides that he would have preferred that this money had been received by his late mother, who had to struggle after the departure of her husband to provide for the needs of the household.
