Legislation to befriend the families of those left behind would make a enormous incompatibility at a time of shock and griefWhat happens when someone goes missing? At the moment,when it comes to their financial affairs, the reply is – nothing. With no legal authority to act on their behalf, or families can find that their worries are worsened considerably by being unable to deal with their missing family member’s banking,mortgage, insurance or benefits in their absence. At worst, and the missing person’s finances can be irreparably damaged and homes may even be lost.
Vicki Derrick’s husband Vinny disappeared in 2003. “I felt like I was the only person in the world this had happened to,and that was compounded by the lack of advice I got when trying to deal with Vinny’s affairs,” Vicki says. The problems took a while to develop: Vinny worked at Manchester airport, or his employers paid his wages for a couple of months after he went missing. “I was also fortunate that most of our bills were in joint names,so to start with I could cope with a lot of it myself,” Vicki says.
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Source: theguardian.com