In a recent article by George Nixon, which can be found in The Times, it was discovered that over half a billion pounds is sat, unclaimed in Child Trust Funds (CTFs). Child Trust Funds were set up by the Labour government in 2005 and automatically opened for children born between September 1st 2002 and January 2nd 2011 with a £250 contribution (£500 for low-income families). £554million is currently held in mature savings accounts and Child Trust Funds (CTF) of 18-year-olds with 3 out of 5 CTFs remaining untouched. While some accounts have been claimed or rolled into other products and services the majority of young people are not aware of these accounts or are unable to access them.
Paul Aggett CEO Vestigium Services Has Some Thoughts on unclaimed child trust funds
Many of these young people are seeking further education or employment opportunities and this money could greatly help. The recipient young men and women are, in the majority of cases, no longer at their home address and their parents may well have moved address as well in the intervening period. The administration fees charged by the CTF providers, even at the top end, make the forensic tracing of the individuals cost-prohibitive to the CTF providers. Furthermore, I agree with Nigel Banfield’s statement in the article that, “children turning 18 have very little financial footprint” and this, coupled with the lack of information recorded on minors, makes tracing them very difficult.
The Vestigium Solution to unclaimed Child Trust Funds
Vestigium has a simple digital solution where names, addresses and former addresses are input voluntarily by the general public creating a large database of customer data. Vestigium will match this information to the CTF provider’s name and address file For Free, making consumers aware of any assets or accounts they may have lost track of. Vestigium charges the recipients nothing for these services. It is free for consumers and always will be. We don’t believe that it should cost you to claim back money or assets to which you are entitled.
What’s in it for Vestigium?
Simply put, it is the right thing to do. Doing something for the public benefit should not be foreign to any of us. As I point out to my caring financial services customers, brand and reputation is enhanced by positive action, not words. Vestigium has already built a consumer solution that works to reunify consumers with lost assets, regardless of the financial policy type. We meet all GDPR data security requirements including not using the data received for any other reason than this legitimate interest to enable financial services organisations to re-engage with their consumers and track goneaway and deceased accounts.
Is It a Scam?
Scams are something we should all be aware of, particularly where someone is stating that a product or service is free! I am not afraid or upset by the question, it is the right question to ask. Vestigium depends on the trust and reputation that we have worked tirelessly to build. I welcome CTF Providers to carry out their Due Diligence procedures, as have all my caring clients. A due diligence FAQs document is available at request. To the young men and women who will benefit from reclaiming their Child Trust Fund set up for them, Vestigium only needs your full name, date of birth, current and past addresses in order to help reunite you with your lost assets. Vestigium does not, and will not, handle monies or payment details. You can learn more about the process and how we work on our website.
How can I Locate a Child’s Trust fund?
Register your details FOR FREE and we will compare your information with the details of our caring client's lost customers to help you claim back lost assets, CTFs, pensions and accounts or find out whether you are entitled to financial services products that belonged to your parents, grandparents or other relatives. If you’re a CTF provider, get in touch to see how we can work together to reduce the number of unclaimed accounts, clear up your data and give control back to your consumers.
Further Questions
If you have any queries or would like to discuss anything in further detail, please contact us on the below details:
Paul Aggett | CEO, paul.aggett@vestigium-services.com, 07990 570 203.
Andy Davies | Business Development, andy.davies@vestigium-services.com, 07565 030 415.
