How do I find a long lost pension? STEVE WEBB tracks down a pot worth thousands for our reader

I built up a small company pension in the mid 80’s with a company called Intercontinental Medical Statistics, a This is what a Money reader asked in an earlier column on recovering lost pensions by steve webb.

I have tried all the usual methods to trace this money, but without success.

I would like to know why, even though I have an Employee Benefit Statement from a UK insurance company, I cannot trace the pension?

The problem appears to be that the insurance company in question, Norwich Union, no longer exists.

However, it is known that NU’s pension assets have been taken over, but no one can tell me who is managing them now. I wonder how many others are in this trouble.

SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT HOW TO ASK STEVE A QUESTION YOUR PENSION QUESTION

Steve Webb responds: The story about finding your missing pension has been going on for a while now.

You started looking for a pension more than ten years ago when you retired. You first contacted This is Money at the end of last year.

Back in April of this year, I wrote a column telling the story so far but losing track: Steve Webb’s top five tips for finding old pots.

I am happy to report that your pension has been found and you have been reunited with it!

I thought loyal readers of my column might find it interesting to know the outcome.

In tracing your pension pot, we tried several tactics, including contacting the various organisations that managed your pension and contacting the various pension providers that were responsible for your pension.

The experience of searching for your pension has prompted me to summarize several strategies for finding lost pensions in a free guide published by my company LCP.

One of the tips in the guide is to think about the employer who is linked to the pension.

Although your former employer has changed its name, an internet search reveals that the company now operates under the name IQVIA.

I probably should have contacted them sooner, but I initially assumed that the chances of them even responding, let alone having information about a British pension from the 80s, were slim, given that I am a multinational company with offices all over the world.

However, I was able to find the contact details of the pension manager at IQVIA. He was indeed very helpful.

It turned out that they still had a pension for you, but there had been some confusion because it was in the name of a certain Mr E. Spence, whereas you are – of course – Mrs E. Spence.

When you called the pension providers yourself some time ago, they did not realize that there was another member with your last name and other matching details. They wrongly told you that there was no pension.

So here’s another tip for finding lost pensions. If you contact a scheme that you know you were a member of, but the administrators can’t find you in the system, ask if it’s possible to do a match search based on just some of your details, to see if there’s another member whose details match yours in all other respects.

If your name is often misspelled, you can also check it for common typos.

You may have to be polite and persistent to find an organization that will do this for you, but a letter requesting this check and providing other important information for them to check, such as your date of birth and the period you worked, may be sufficient.

I am pleased to report that the IQVIA pension administrator has taken up the matter in your case and that you have now received a letter outlining your options and offering you a payment in recognition of the ‘distress and inconvenience’ you have experienced.

You had the choice of receiving a payment of over ten years’ pension arrears or taking the entire amount in one go, which could amount to thousands of pounds. You chose to do this.

You told me that you are very happy with the outcome: ‘Considering that just a month or so ago I thought I had lost my pension, the turnaround in my life is truly astonishing.’

I’m glad I could help!