If you think you think you may have some outstanding share dividends you can check by contacting the company registrars, who will be able to search their records for you. If they locate unclaimed dividends they will simply issue cheques to the value of the dividends due.

There are three main share registrars: Capita, Computershare and Equiniti. You can find out which registrar deals with the company you have shares with by searching www.hemscott.com/advisers/registrars. Alternatively, you can call the company in question.

If you have old share certificates in a company that you cannot find, contact the registrar named on the certificate and they should be able to trace the history of the company. At this time they will also be able to search for unclaimed dividends that may be outstanding.

With regard to out of date or lost dividends, you can ask the registrar to replace them however; there may be a fee for this. The time limit for claiming unclaimed dividends is usually 12 years.

Please be aware that when it comes to shares, companies are always changing names, merging, de-merging or ceasing altogether.  If you of the deceased have old share certificates that may still have a value, it is important that you contact the registrar as soon as possible.  If you discover that the registrar named is no longer in existence, enter the name into the Google search engine and you will often be able to find out which registrar took over the holding.

Kate Wallace
Probate Advisor

If you need further help or advice on dealing with shareholdings or require more information on Probate in general, please call our free helpline on 0800 028 2837