ESTATE AND PROBATE ASSET INVESTIGATION
THE DEATH OF A LOVE ONE IS VERY DIFFICULT. ARE YOU THE EXECUTOR OR PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF AN ESTATE?
Executors have a fiduciary responsibility to identify all assets and liabilities of an estate while in probate.
This enables all funds to be properly distributed to the beneficiaries and heirs.
• Many people die without creating a will or estate plan. This leaves the family beneficiaries and heirs without a true understanding of the deceased persons estate.
• When an individual passes away, the surviving family members and legal representatives may have incomplete financial records. The individual may have suffered dementia. The executor does not always know where the decedent had assets
• In many cases heirs may have reason to believe that the executor of the estate may have breached their fiduciary duty to the estate in making decisions and distributing assets in a manner that does not conform with wishes of the deceases.
• This exacerbates the anxiety and frustration that comes from losing a loved one. An asset investigation will identify assets of the individual inclusive of real estate, bank account balances, money markets, certificates of deposits, brokerage accounts inclusive of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, 401k, and IRA.
• It becomes more difficult to identify assets as time passes. Financial institutions will place dormant accounts dark once they have identified that the individual has passed away. The exact time frame in which dormant accounts go dark depends on the financial institution. If our asset investigators are unable to identify the account balances in a financial institution, the executor of the estate may file a subpoena duces tecum to identify the account balances.
• This is a difficult time for all involved. Our #Assets investigation team will obtain the necessary information to assist in the closure of the estate
The asset investigators are able to identify bank accounts, money markets, certificates of deposits, brokerage accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, 401K, IRA, real property, motor vehicles, aircraft, vessels and safety deposit boxes.
The investigators will obtain the balances and last deposits in the financial institutions. In addition, the investigation will include credit activity, liens, judgments, bankruptcy filings, #mortgage, and credit line balances.