Share Valuation and Verification

Ensure that the estates you handle are distributed with confidence

Title Research can assist with valuing shareholdings listed in the UK and overseas as of date of death for probate purposes.

These valuations can form the basis of Grant applications, calculating IHT and assessing Capital Gains Tax implications (CGT). For shareholdings held in the US, valuations can also be used to determine whether tax clearance from the IRS is required.

Where share evidence is dated, for example old share certificates were found amongst the Deceased’s possessions, Title Research can assist the estate by formally verifying UK or North American shareholdings with the relevant Registrar or Transfer Agent.

Formally verifying shareholdings can help provide the following information:

Confirm the current status of the holding as well as the registered owner

Confirm the registration address of the holding

Confirm the number of shares held in both electronic or certificated format

Confirm the number of shares held at death

Confirm whether share certificates held are valid

For US shareholdings specifically:

Confirm whether a holding has escheated

Confirm when escheatment occurred

Confirm the value of any escheated dividends

Case study: Great Universal Stores

Our client had come across Great Universal Stores (GUS plc) share certificates and wanted to verify the shares held in the estate. We identified that the GUS plc shares no longer existed and the shareholder would now hold shares in Burberry, J Sainsbury and Experian.

This was due to a number of corporate actions that had taken place since 2005. When we verified the shareholdings, we were also instructed to check whether additional funds were due to the estate from unclaimed dividends. We found that payments from the acquisition by J Sainsbury remained unclaimed.

We collected in the dividend cheques and sold the shareholdings in Burberry, J Sainsbury and Experian.