Trying to locate old stocks and shares is a difficult task and trying to ascertain their value once found can be even harder. There are numerous services, most of which charge a fee, to do the research for you. This article will help you to find these resources and provide a brief summary as well as contact information for each.
Go to www.Scripohily.com or call (888) 786-2576. For a fee, this company will research your old stock or bond certificates. They also might be interested in buying your certificates if found to be collectible. They currently have more than 4,500 images of stock from different companies.
Call the Financial Stock Guide Service at (800) 367-3441 and ask for the custom research department. They will be able to tell you, for a fee, whether or not your shares are active or obsolete. In business since 1927, they also publish a directory that updates annually.
Go to www.spinksmythe.com or call (800) 622-1880. R. M. Smythe & Co., Inc., publishes a guide you can buy to help trace the value of very old stocks and shares. They will also do custom appraisals for a fee.
Call Mergent Company at (800) 342-5647 to request, for a fee, a subscription to Moody's Industrial Manual and Moody's OTC Industrial Manual. Both of these manuals provide historic business information on mergers and acquisitions, subsidiaries and company history.
Go to www.pinksheets.com to view a database of over the counter (OTC) stocks. For a fee, they will prepare a research report and mail or fax it to you, usually on the same day. You can also call (800) LIST-OTC and ask for Library Research for more information on this service.
FAQs
Search for unclaimed property on Department of Revenue website. There are many resources on the internet. Some resources will trace the history of stock certificates and companies to determine whether or not the stock certificate has any value. Some resources provide research services for a fee.
How to find lost stocks and shares? ›
Again, you'll need to start by contacting the company's share registrar, if you know the company name. You might have previously heard of the Unclaimed Assets Register – a database that helped locate lost assets in bank accounts, pensions and investments – and it would have been your first port of call.
How do I find old shares in my name? ›
IEPF Search - Search for shares transferred to IEPF
Search for unclaimed and forgotten investments with various companies and government authorities. Note: You can search using any of the following combination: ➧ Investor's first name, middle name, last name and state.
How do I find out if I have stocks in my name? ›
The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, a non-commercial site, allows you to search by individual state. The claims process is usually relatively simple so give careful consideration before agreeing to compensate anyone for handling it for you.
How do I find out if old shares are still valid? ›
In most cases, share certificates will remain valid until the shareholdings are sold or transferred. However, if the company merges or gets sold, the certificates may become invalid. If the company is known, the relevant share registrar can be contacted to check if the Deceased's share certificates are still valid.
How to trace old shares? ›
Gretel is a free platform that searches for lost shares, as well as bank accounts, pensions, Child Trust Funds, life insurance, and more. Gretel delivers concrete, actionable results about the whereabouts of your shares in minutes, putting you in control. And it's free. Try Gretel now, read our FAQ, or watch our video.
How do I find out if my dad had shares? ›
If you have a share certificate or details of the holding registrar organisation e.g. Captia, then write to them with a copy of the death certificate, share holder number, etc., and they will provide details of the holdings.
What happens to unclaimed shares? ›
The rules say that if shares and dividends, whether held in dematerialised or physical format, are not claimed for seven consecutive years, then those are marked as unclaimed. What happens to unclaimed shares and dividends? They are transferred to the government-run IEPF.
Can you recover stock losses? ›
There are a number of instances where investment losses are recoverable. These cases fall broadly under three categories: excessive trading, unsuitable investments and misrepresentations.
What to do when you lose stocks? ›
You might be tempted to jump back in with both feet, but consider taking on smaller positions than you're used to. For example, if under normal circ*mstances you never risk more than 5% of your trading portfolio on a single trade, after a big loss you might reduce that to 2% or 3% until you feel you're on solid ground.
