Hull’s only dedicated heir hunting firm, DS Researchers, has been bought out by the brains behind the BBC’s hit show.
Danny Curran’s Finders International, the UK’s largest probate research company, has swooped for the Willerby operation, a n operation that has helped trace and award inheritance to individuals for more than 30 years.
In that time the company has been involved in cases uncovering hidden lottery wins, unknown siblings, life-changing sums and gangster links. It has also exposed an inheritance fraud which led to a prison sentence.
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DS Researchers specialises in tracing beneficiaries to the estates which would otherwise go to the Government - where individuals have died without making a will.
Mr Curran, considered a spokesman of the profession, and a regular on daytime television, said: “Having DS Researchers join the Finders International family isn’t just about business growth, it’s about sharing of knowledge, resources and expertise in an industry which needs to constantly challenge itself to produce results for family members – to whom we have a key responsibility.”
Due to an increase in individuals living and dying alone - without a will - the work probate researchers do has become invaluable to communities and local authorities, often whose job it becomes to trace next of kin.
Of the undisclosed deal, Richard Eglen, director at DS Researchers, said: “Probate research firms can’t just be taken over, like a shop or a restaurant. It takes many years to become a good probate genealogist, honing expertise, insights into society and refining killer research skills, so we’re delighted that Finders International - which has become the UK’s largest and most successful firm, and has solved thousands of cases - will take care of our staff, long standing clients and foster ever-increasing international cooperation. The expanded resources available to us will allow for there to be no stone unturned in our continuous search for beneficiaries on many cases.”
Work is drawn from a weekly government list, the Bona Vacantia - 'ownerless goods'. Mr Eglen remains with the business, where four staff are employed, with the plan to welcome two more recruits shortly. It will retain the DS Researchers name.
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