Old stocks and shares Certificates

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Tracing the companies from an old share certificate can be difficult, especially when the company involved has changed their name, or are no longer listed on the stock exchange.

Start with the share registrar named on the old share certificate they should be able to tell you the history of the company while they where the registrar. Capita, Lloyds TSB, and Computershare are the main registrars in the UK. They should be able to track the history of the company.

However, companies not only change names, they change registrars, they get taken over, they get sold again, sometimes they go bust and disappear for ever. Sometimes the same trading name appears as the brand was the only asset left to sell by the administrator. The new company in those circumstances has no connection with the one whose the share certificate you hold.

If the registrars can't help, the London Stock Exchange, will be able to tell you if a listed company has been taken over, changed its name or still exists.

Check out the pages on tracing lost assets and the list of useful contacts.