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can a life insurance company refuse to pay a claim because they don't keep old records ?

i recently found a life insurance policy that my mother who died 7 years ago had taken out 4 months before she died. it was a 12 month term policy with the premium paid at the time of issue. the company that issued the policy had been sold to another company so i finally reached that company and they said they did not keep records that old. i faxed them the policy and receipt and i was told they could not find the policy they did not keep records that far back. any advice on what i should do would be greatly appreciated.

Public Comments

1. Contact your state's insurance commissioner. http://www.naic.org/
2. Insurance company can not deny a claim because they cannot find the policy. The only place on the planet that can help you is your state's Insurance Commissioner or Department of Insurance. A link is below. Just click on your state. You might want to post what state your in. I don't know who is giving those thumps down but everyone who has posted so far was correct.
3. http://www.naic.org/state_web_map.htm
4. No, they cannot refuse for that reason. You need to get their response in writing, and file the complaint with your state insurance department. Keep in mind, though, that unless she died via an ACCIDENT, it's highly likely that the claim isn't payable ANYWAY. If she had a medical condition at the time she took the policy out, and didn't tell the insurance company about it, they don't pay out. If she bought a "no medical exam" policy, they don't pay the first two years, either. But the first step, is to get a denial in writing, and file the complaint.