How do you find out if there are lost insurance policies after my dad's death?

We are having problems locating his legal paperwork.

Well, most likely he doesn't.

There's no central database of active policies or anything. You can check three places, or rather, only the legal executor of his estate, can check three places: 1. his employer, if he was employed at the time of death; 2. at his bank, you can get copies of all his cancelled checks (if he had life insurance, he had to be PAYING for it. Most policies have to be paid once a month, or once a year); or you can pay a $75 fee, to see if any APPLICATIONS have been submitted on him in the past 10 years, here http://www.mib.com/html/lost-life-insura...

Only the legal estate executor can access this information, so you have to get that court appointment first.

Try his bank, and see if he has a safety deposit box. You'll need a death certificate and have to fill out some forms, but they'll know what to do.

If he was a veteran, check with the Veteran's Administration. I think they pay a small one-time benefit to survivors.

Check with his former employer, if he had one, for possible life insurance, or pension plan payout.

Did he keep in touch with any of your Aunts or Uncles, or local friends? They might give you some pointers on where to look, like what bank, if any, he used.

Since a lot of policies are paid by EFT )Electronic Funds Transfer) check with his bank or check book to see if there are "regular" withdrawels on a monthly or quarterly basis, made paybale to an insurance company.

Did he have a local insurance agent? What about a financial planner?

Sorry about your loss but I hope this helps!