Employer Lost Beneficiary Info

My brother recently died leaving no children or spouse. He indicated he was naming my brother as beneficiary on his group life ins. policy at work. The brother was to take the money and use it as he saw fit for our Mother's care as she is on a limited income with no assets. The employer nor the ins. co. can find the beneficiary form that was filled out by my brother to enroll in the policy. The ins. co, says they must then pay the policy to my brother's Estate. Since the ins. policy was all that he had, now that has to go into the Estate, all creditors will have to be paid leaving nothing for our Mother's care. In addition, he had life ins. on his credit card bills, but since his death, the credit card co's say he did not have the policy out long enough (2 mos.), so now they won't pay off. One of them wrote a letter on the day of his death saying for him to tear up the original policy because they put the incorrect amt. of insurance on it. Is there any way to preserve any of these proceeds for our Mother?

Wow.

Is there any evidence that he ever did fill out the beneficiary form or card and send it in to the Company or insurer which then lost it? Can you find the original or a copy in his files? That would at least give some support to the fact that it may have been lost by the employer (who often keeps it in its files), or the insurer.

Absent anything that can be used as some proof, I don't know what to tell you from the insurance side, except maybe a smart lawyer can figure something out.

As far as the credit card company insuance goes, my experience is that some companies that issue it are lying theives, that misrepresnt what the plan covers and fails to cover. I had a horrible experience with a Florida based company, American Bankers, some years ago. Definitely read the policy language very carefully and get a lawyer involved. That's all that stops them -- and consider bad faith and punitive damages.

in which case it in his foles