Claiming unpaid dividends
Discussion
I've been contacted by one of these "asset repatriation" companies as it appears I've got some shares I'd forgotten about and therefore some unclaimed dividend.
Having done some further investigation it seems I have 1 (singular) share in my ex-employers company which is completely feasible as I used to have a lot of shares and share options which had several right/script issues etc so when I sold them I could easily have sold one short.
Does anyone know how I;
a) get a replacement share certificate (do they still exist or is it all electronic)
b) claim my unpaid dividends (there could be 20 years worth)
TIA
Having done some further investigation it seems I have 1 (singular) share in my ex-employers company which is completely feasible as I used to have a lot of shares and share options which had several right/script issues etc so when I sold them I could easily have sold one short.
Does anyone know how I;
a) get a replacement share certificate (do they still exist or is it all electronic)
b) claim my unpaid dividends (there could be 20 years worth)
TIA
What I would do, is firstly ignore the people who contacted you. They of course only want money.
First calculate the value òf the dividends that you have not received (your holding x dividend amounts ÷ 100). It might be that the amounts are small, and perhaps not worth your effort.
Otherwise, look up the details of the registrar. It will be shown on the investors section of the Company website. Then contact the registrar. From your description, they probably do not have details of your latest address, or your current bank details (majority of dividend payments now are directly to bank accounts. The registrars can also help with replacement certificates, but there would probably be a cost.
Dividend payments are normally paid twice every year, or for some very large companies quarterly.
Jon39 said:
What I would do, is firstly ignore the people who contacted you. They of course only want money.
First calculate the value òf the dividends that you have not received (your holding x dividend amounts ÷ 100). It might be that the amounts are small, and perhaps not worth your effort.
Otherwise, look up the details of the registrar. It will be shown on the investors section of the Company website. Then contact the registrar. From your description, they probably do not have details of your latest address, or your current bank details (majority of dividend payments now are directly to bank accounts. The registrars can also help with replacement certificates, but there would probably be a cost.
Dividend payments are normally paid twice every year, or for some very large companies quarterly.
Is a GBX shareprice of £4700 actually only £47?
Exactly this scenario happened to my wife though it was inherited shares. Your situation should be simpler. If you have your shareholder reference number for your holdings then just sign up to the registrars website where you should be able to see your holding and the unpaid dividends. The wife claimed back 21 years of unpaid divis. They won’t pay missed interest though. Change of address and at the next scheduled divi run they’ll pay you out. You should be able to go to electronic holdings too.
Marcellus said:
Cheers, why am i dividing the dividend amounts by 100?
Is a GBX shareprice of £4700 actually only £47?
Is a GBX shareprice of £4700 actually only £47?
Example;
I know you mentioned a holding of 1 share, but it is clearer if we use say 50 shares.
GlaxoSmithKline quarterly dividend oayment 12 April 2018 was 23 pence per share.
50 x 23.0p ÷ 100 = £11.50
elanfan said:
There’s no way one of the Asset chasing companies would get involved in such a low amount - there must be more to it. I believe they are obliged to indicate how much is involved. That should give you a clue.
That's what I initially thought, but won't they just be taken on by the company with a remit to "find all missing shareholders" and then the actual holding becomes irrelevant whether it be 1, 100 or 100,000?PugwasHDJ80 said:
Naah the ltd Co don't want to pay the dividends if they don't have to 
Are you absolutely certain its only one share? they may well have split the shareholding a number of times over that period.
It's a PLC, with a turnover of about €1.7bn I suspect they just put it down to "Investor relations" and yes it is currently just one share!Are you absolutely certain its only one share? they may well have split the shareholding a number of times over that period.
Still might be worth checking with registrars. Sometimes part of a company can be separately listed/spun off and you’ll have a holding with them too. There are various umclaimed assets registers which you can search some are chargeable though.
Still think it’s unlikely a registrar or the plc itself would try to trace missing shareholders it’s actually not in their interest as they get the benefit of £millions at zero cost for X years sitting in their bank account.
Still think it’s unlikely a registrar or the plc itself would try to trace missing shareholders it’s actually not in their interest as they get the benefit of £millions at zero cost for X years sitting in their bank account.
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