FAQs

AssetTrace+ operate a service which helps reunite individuals, or their legal representatives, with unclaimed assets relating to companies in which they are or were a shareholder.

AssetTrace+ is a trading name for Link Market Services Limited and is part of Link Group. Link Group are the registrar for the company you hold/held shares in (“Company Registrar”) and manage their register of members. That company has instructed AssetTrace+ to attempt to reunite current and previous shareholders, or their legal representatives, with assets that they have not claimed.

It is important you understand how Link Group uses and protects your personal data, and we advise that you read our Privacy Notice which you can find online at https://www.AssetTracePlus.linkgroup.eu/privacy-policy or you can ask us for a copy.

If you’ve received a letter from us about outstanding payments owed to you, then we have been instructed by the company (“Company”) mentioned in the letter to try to reunite individuals who are or were a shareholder with assets that have not been claimed.

There are various reasons why payments may not have been claimed by a shareholder such as the original cheques getting lost in the post, being misplaced, not providing up to date bank account details or the Company Registrar not being informed of a change of address.

We have used reasonable efforts to trace shareholders which may have included the use of a tracing agent. We have therefore written to the registered address, or last known address provided by our tracing agent (if applicable), to confirm how you can claim these payments.

The security of your information is of paramount importance, so you’re always right to check whether communications like this are legitimate. If you’d like to check the validity of the communication, you can visit the Company’s website or contact the Company Registrar.

Dividend forfeiture applies to individuals where some, or all, of their dividend payments that were paid over a certain period (as indicated in the letter) are outstanding. If individuals do not respond, their unclaimed dividends will be forfeit and returned to the Company. This is permitted under the Company’s Articles of Association and further detailed information can be found in the frequently asked questions enclosed with your letter.

Share Forfeiture applies to shareholders where all dividends paid over a certain period are outstanding and who have been inactive in respect of their holding during that time (as indicated in the letter). If shareholders do not respond, they will have their entire holding forfeit, comprising of their unclaimed dividends and their shares which will be sold and the proceeds/dividends returned to the Company. Again, this is permitted under the Articles of Association of the Company and further detailed information can be found in the frequently asked questions enclosed with your letter.

Depending on your circumstances you will have been asked to either complete your claim via our online claims portal or by completing a paper claim form which will have been enclosed with the claim letter. Please follow the instructions in the letter and submit your claim by the specified deadline (if applicable).

Please read the terms and conditions (if applicable) and the frequently asked questions enclosed with your letter carefully first. If the shareholder has passed away, please refer to question 14.

Please refer to the letter and frequently asked questions that you were sent for more details on what will happen if you miss the deadline. If you have been asked to respond by a specified deadline it is important that you do so especially if your assets are at risk of forfeiture.

If you have been instructed to complete your claim via our online claims portal, you will be asked a number of financial and residential based security questions to verify your identity and complete your claim.

If you have been asked to complete a paper claim form, you need to provide photographic proof of your identity (a copy of your driving licence or passport) and proof of your current address (a copy of a bank statement dated within the 3 months) for the sole or first named shareholder. You will need to provide photocopies of the documents not originals which will be securely destroyed and will not be returned. We reserve the right to request additional documentation if needed.

To change your name and/or address, please refer to question 13.

You are required to provide proof of identification and address which we will validate. We may use a third-party provider, Experian Credit Bureau (“ECB”), to verify your identity and bank account details if required as shown below.

• A search will be carried out with Experian Ltd for the purposes of verifying your identity
• ECB may check the details you supply against any particulars on any database (public or otherwise) to which it has access, to verify your identity
• ECB will retain a record of the search

There is an administration fee of 15% of the value of the dividends being claimed (plus VAT). This fee will be deducted from your entitlement prior to payment. If you decide not to use the reunification service, you may contact the Company Registrar directly to claim your entitlements; different fees will apply.

If the Company still offer cheque payments then a cheque can be sent. If this is no longer offered, you will need to provide details of a bank account to receive your payments electronically and the Company Registrar will retain your dividend payments until such time as one is provided.

Link Group offer alternative payment methods, such as the International Payment Service or payment to a building society account. You may also choose to donate your dividends to charity. You will need to complete a paper claim form to receive your payment via an alternative method or to donate to charity (refer to question 22).

Subject to satisfactory completion of validation/verification checks, claims will (normally) be paid within 30 business days from when the claim is validated.

Please contact us.

You will need to complete a paper claim form (refer to question 22) and enclose proof of the change as follows:

Change of address: please complete section 2 of the claim form and provide the identification outlined in question 7. Please ensure that you detail all previous addresses that may be registered for the shareholding, as well as the current address.

Change of name: please complete section 3 on the claim form, enclose the identification outlined in question 7 and include proof of the change of name as follows:

• Original or a certified copy of the marriage certificate, deed poll, statutory declaration or other legal document confirming the change
• In the case of a divorce, we will need to see an original/certified copy of the Decree Absolute and, if applicable, a Birth Certificate showing your maiden name.

The original/certified documents will be returned to you. Once your claim has been validated, we will liaise with the Company Registrar to update your holding (if applicable) and pay the outstanding dividends to you.

Please contact us and quote the claim reference/s shown on the letters. We will provide you with further information on what to do next based on the circumstances and involve the Company Registrar. If you have received more than one letter and claim reference it is important that you provide details of all the claim references.

If you have already registered the relevant legal documents with the Company Registrar and have received a claim form from us, please complete and return it.

The attorney will need to complete a claim form and return this with the original power of attorney, or a copy certified in ink (on every page if this is a lasting power of attorney or if issued in Scotland) by the person who has appointed the attorney, a bank, a stockbroker, or solicitor.  We are unable to accept a photocopy and the documents will be returned to you.

If you are sending a lasting power of attorney for property and financial decisions only, which has been registered in England or Wales on or after 1 September 2019, you can register this on the below website to obtain a 13 digit access code www.gov.uk/use-lasting-power-of-attorney. Once obtained, please include a cover letter confirming the code with the claim form. We will not require the original power of attorney document at this time.

Once the claim has been validated, we will liaise with the Company Registrar to update the holding (if applicable) and pay the outstanding dividends to you.

You can donate your outstanding dividends and/or shares to ShareGift, the share donation charity (registered charity 1052686) who will use the funds to support a wide range of UK charities. Please visit www.sharegift.org for more information.

To donate your unclaimed dividends to charity you will need to complete a claim form (refer to question 22). If you would like to donate your shares to charity you will need to wait until your claim is complete and then contact the Company Registrar.

If you are in any doubt about the action you should take, you should contact your accountant, bank manager, broker or other independent financial, tax or legal adviser. Neither the Company nor Link Group can provide any tax, legal or financial advice.

If you complete your claim via our online claims portal, you will receive confirmation of your shareholding once you successfully complete the verification process. If you are completing a paper claim form, we can confirm the amount of shares that you still hold once your claim has been completed.

Once you have received confirmation that your claim is complete, please contact the Company Registrar to request a replacement. There may be a charge for this service.

Please contact us quoting the claim reference/s.

You may have more than one shareholding. It is important that you complete each claim separately.

Please contact us quoting your claim reference/s and we can arrange for a form/s to be sent to you.