Hampshire widow shocked at unexpected windfall from unknown investment
When Maria Renshaw, a widow of 20 years, was contacted by Finders International to tell her that valuable ‘forgotten shares’ of her late-husband had been discovered, she was stunned.
Despite her late husband being the main bread-winner and working in finance Maria had always managed all the household finances. Following his death, two decades previously, she had changed the name on all her husband’s shares and investments to her name only.
Maria, who lives in Hampshire, said: “I was sitting in the garden last August when I got a phone call out of the blue from Finders International. The researcher there, Alastair Clarke, informing me of shares that apparently belonging to my late husband. I had never heard of these investments before. I had no paperwork for them, no records and never remember my husband mentioning them to me.
“FInders International said they would do all the work, find the relevant information, and prove my claim. I wasn't expecting this 'bonus’ so I was happy to agree to their terms. Also, I knew they were genuine as I had seen them on the BBC TV's 'Heir Hunters' programme.”
Asset Manager at Finders International, Alastair Clarke said: “Even when people make a Will, like Maria’s husband had, there are often cases where certain assets, particularly shares or investments, are not identified or simply forgotten about; a Will might not have been updated; records and paperwork lost. It happens!
“In this particular case, the investments that Maria’s husband had originally made in a UK-based real estate investment company had been transferred following its acquisition by another company and had been left unclaimed following the takeover.
“We were able to trace Maria, as the widow of the original investor and reunite the unclaimed assets with her. I know she was delighted.”
Maria said: “I would never have got this money had it not been for Finders. When my husband died, everything went through probate – so it was amazing that these investments were discovered more than two decades later. I got £16,000 straight into my bank account just before Christmas from an investment I didn’t even know existed!
“I have three adult children and eight grandchildren so they all got something extra at Christmas.”
Finders International specialises in probate genealogy, tracing heirs to estates, property, and assets worldwide. It offers a range of services including locating missing heirs and beneficiaries, estate administration, and asset reunification. It has offices in London, Edinburgh, Yorkshire and Cardiff, as well as an office in Dublin, Ireland and Sydney, Australia. With more than 140 highly qualified researchers it primarily serves private client legal departments, public sector entities, and unclaimed asset departments. It was founded in 1997 .