It’s a new year and a new decade – Welcome to 2020! This time of year can trigger many feelings – optimism, reflection, uncertainty or all of the above. As we think back to some of the hot topics we followed throughout the year, we realise many are still relevant as we step into the new year.

Over the past year, we’ve monitored several news headlines and developments that have impacted the estate administration industry, including the probate application delays, the rising cost of death, and everyone’s favourite topic, Brexit.

Death still remains to be a taboo subject and people avoid talking about it. Whether that’s discussing what they want to happen when they die with their family, or speaking to a professional (such as a Financial Adviser or Will Writer) about plans to protect their legacy when the time comes. People typically still find talking about death uncomfortable and struggle to bring it up as a topic of conversation. Almost 60% of people do not have a Will in place, which makes you wonder whether that is due to this stigma surrounding death.

The deadline has now passed for individuals, including Executors and Administrators of estates, to reclaim Payment Protection Insurance (PPI). In order to claim money back for PPI, complaints needed to be submitted to the providers or Financial Ombudsman Service by the 29th of August 2019. Financial institutions had set aside money to cover the billions of pounds that remained unclaimed.

The importance of creating a valid Will has been a popular topic of conversation recently. After details of George Michael’s Will came to light, some popular TV and radio shows including Loose Women, This Morning and The Chris Evans Breakfast Show, took the opportunity to discuss the topic.

Estate administration is a term slowly becoming more commonly known. One of the challenges we face is around public perception and education; currently, probate is the common term used to describe the estate administration process. As a business providing this service to families all across the UK, we receive questions about estate administration, probate and everything in between. In this blog post, we sit down with our Head of Service Delivery to explore the answers to four of our most asked questions around probate and estate administration.

In May 2019, Kings Court Trust travelled the length of the country to provide educational seminars to over 100 of our business partners. The seminars took place in Preston, Durham, Warwick, Maidstone and finished with a session in Bristol, where Kings Court Trust are based. The agenda for each seminar included breakfast, lunch, networking and presentations from industry experts.

Kings Court Trust are pleased to launch a brand new guide to help professionals understand estate administration.

The deadline has now passed for individuals to reclaim Payment Protection Insurance (PPI). If you want to find out more about the current position of PPI claims against estates, please visit our latest blog post. On the 16th of April 2019, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) released a briefing note warning practitioners of an issue related to Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) claims against estates. If you’re involved in the administration of a deceased person’s estate, then this is an issue that you need to be aware of.