What Finders International does

Finders International (legal entity: Finders Genealogists Ltd.) is a UK-headquartered probate genealogy firm founded in 1964 and operating as a private limited company from London. The firm identifies and locates missing heirs, beneficiaries, and next of kin globally, and supports estate administration through services including heir tracing, executor and administrator search, international asset recovery, missing will searches, family tree verification, Court of Protection research, and trustee research. Its underlying methodology combines genealogical databases, public records research, and an international correspondent network, with case turnaround often quoted at under 24 hours. The business is organised around four service pillars: Private Client Services (fee-paying work for solicitors, trust companies, executors, and private individuals), Public Sector Services (free next-of-kin and empty-property tracing for councils, NHS Trusts, housing associations, care homes, and coroners across the UK and Ireland), Missing Freeholder Services (leasehold property tracing), and Insurances with Aviva, a distribution partnership providing probate-related insurance products including Missing Beneficiary Insurance, Bond of Caution, Early Distribution Insurance, Unoccupied Property Insurance, and Trustee Insurance under a self-approval arrangement.

The firm operates seven offices in London (HQ), Edinburgh, Cardiff, Willerby, Dublin, Sydney, and Toronto, and supports English-speaking common-law jurisdictions across the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Canada. Its go-to-market is sales-led, with direct engagement of legal professionals, public-sector bodies, and insurance partners, supplemented by referral flows from a solicitor panel, ongoing BBC1 Heir Hunters television exposure, a webinar and training platform (Finders Development Hub), and content marketing across LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Bluesky, and a corporate blog. Revenue is generated primarily through fee-based private-client casework and embedded economics from Aviva-distributed probate insurance; public-sector services are provided at no cost and function as a brand, lead-generation, and goodwill channel. Ownership is private and founder-/family-controlled, with no disclosed external investment, subsidiaries, or M&A activity.

Name

Finders International

Legal name

Finders Genealogists Ltd.

Website

https://findersinternational.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Finders International is a UK-headquartered probate genealogy firm, founded 1964, that traces missing heirs, beneficiaries, and next of kin globally for solicitors, executors, public-sector bodies, and insurance partners, operating from seven offices across the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Probate Genealogy Services

NAICS

Title Abstract and Settlement Offices (541191)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Buy-Side Search & Acquisition Advisory (FSAEAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Special Needs & Supplemental Needs Trust Services (FSAAANAJ)

Keywords

• Heir tracing services
• Probate genealogy
• Missing beneficiary search
• Estate administration services
• International asset recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Probate Genealogy Services: Fee-based services for tracing missing heirs, locating beneficiaries, and verifying family trees for estate administration. Services provided to solicitors, executors, trust companies, and private client practitioners.
2. Public Sector Services: Free next of kin search services for local authorities, NHS Trusts, Housing Associations, Care Homes, and Charities. Empty property owner tracing services provided at no cost to public sector bodies.
3. Insurance Products: Partnered with Aviva to provide probate-related insurance products including Missing Beneficiary Insurance, Bond of Caution, Early Distribution Insurance, Unoccupied Property Insurance, and Trustee Insurance. Act as the longest standing provider of AVIVA online policies with self-approval arrangement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Finders International is a probate genealogy firm that traces missing heirs, locates beneficiaries, and verifies family trees for estate administration. It delivers four core service lines: Private Client Services (heir tracing, executor search, international asset recovery, will and asset searches), Public Sector Services (next of kin tracing, empty homes services, court of protection support), Missing Freeholder Services (tracing absentee freeholders for leasehold property), and Insurances with Aviva (specialist probate insurance products including Missing Beneficiary Insurance and Bond of Caution).

Product overview

Finders International is an award-winning probate genealogy firm offering a comprehensive suite of services organized into four core divisions: Private Client Services (heir tracing, estate administration, asset searches), Public Sector Services (next of kin location, empty property services for councils and housing associations), Missing Freeholder Services (property tracing for leasehold issues), and Insurances with Aviva (specialist probate insurance products). The company also provides Beneficiary Services support, educational Webinars & Training through its Development Hub, and operates the Heir Hunters sub-brand featured on BBC1. Services are delivered through offices in London (HQ), Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Australia, Canada, and Yorkshire. The portfolio ranges from core genealogy research services to specialized insurance products and training programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Client Services Comprehensive probate genealogy services for solicitors, trust companies, executors, administrators, and private individuals. Includes tracing missing heirs and beneficiaries globally, locating eligible administrators when no executor is named, identifying and recovering overseas assets held by the deceased, conducting thorough will searches, retrieving missing legal documents, verifying family trees and kinship lines, supporting Court of Protection deputyship matters, confirming appointed trustees, checking overseas bankruptcies, uncovering hidden assets and liabilities, and managing Section 27 Trustee Act notices with insurance to protect trustees from claims.
• Public Sector Services Free services for local authorities, NHS Trusts, housing associations, care homes, charities, and coroners across the UK and Ireland. Includes tracing next of kin for councils and coroners, verifying family relationships to safeguard public sector estate claims, locating empty property owners to bring vacant homes back into use, supporting deputies and appointees managing property and assets through Court of Protection, and assisting with funeral funding access when no next of kin can be found.
• Missing Freeholder Services Tracing service that locates missing or absentee freeholders and landlords to resolve leasehold property issues quickly and efficiently, enabling leaseholders and managing agents to proceed with property transactions, extensions, or service charge matters.
• Insurances with Aviva Specialist probate insurance products distributed through the Aviva online platform with a self-approval arrangement, where completed heir-tracing reports can result in instant policy issuance. The product line includes Missing Beneficiary Insurance (protects estate distribution when heirs cannot be located), Bond of Caution (Scottish court-required insurance protecting estate beneficiaries and creditors), Early Distribution Insurance (covers costs from claims made after early distribution), Unoccupied Property Insurance (covers empty estate properties against damage or legal risks), and Trustee Insurance (enables practitioners to obtain additional protection when winding up trusts by verifying entitled beneficiaries or class of kin).
• Webinars & Training (Finders Development Hub) Expert-led training programs and ongoing support delivered through the Finders Development Hub for legal professionals and public sector teams, providing professional development, client education, and lead generation content on probate, genealogy, and estate administration topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Often locate next of kin within 24 hours

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• AvivacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted partner and longest-standing provider of AVIVA online policies for probate-related insurance products. Features a convenient 'self-approval' arrangement with AVIVA where completed reports can result in instant policy issuance. Products include Missing Beneficiary Insurance, Bond of Caution, Early Distribution Insurance, Unoccupied Property Insurance, and Trustee Insurance.
• BBC (Heir Hunters)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured as the expert probate genealogy firm on BBC1's popular show Heir Hunters, which showcases heir search cases and provides national television exposure for the brand.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Anglia Research: Long-established UK probate genealogy firm tracing missing heirs and beneficiaries for solicitors and executors. Directly comparable to Finders International in service scope, customer base (legal professionals and estate administrators), and UK-centric operating model.
• Cornwall Probate Research: UK probate genealogist offering heir tracing, family tree verification, and missing beneficiary searches to solicitors, executors, and the public sector. Closely matches Finders' core private client service line and target buyer.
• Locate International: International heir-tracing and probate research firm with operations across multiple jurisdictions. Comparable to Finders in cross-border case handling, beneficiary location, and professional services delivery to legal clients.
• Beverley Cole Heir Hunters: UK probate genealogist specialising in missing heir location, family tree research, and estate administration support. Serves the same solicitor, executor, and public sector customer base as Finders International.
• Syon Probate Research: UK-based probate genealogy firm offering heir tracing and beneficiary location services to legal professionals. Directly comparable in service offering, geography, and customer segments to Finders International.

Broad incumbents

• MyHeritage: Large global genealogy and family tree platform with DNA testing and a network of professional genealogists. Comparable as a heritage and family-history research platform, though its consumer/DNA focus differs from Finders' professional probate services model.
• Ancestry: Global leader in consumer genealogy and family history records. Comparable as a heritage research platform, with overlap in genealogical databases and family-tree research methodology, though operating at much greater scale and a different business model.
• Find My Past: UK-focused genealogy and family history platform providing access to historical records. Comparable in genealogical data infrastructure and UK market overlap, with a consumer subscription model rather than professional probate services.

Others

• FamilySearch: Non-profit genealogical records platform operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Comparable as a foundational genealogical data and research infrastructure provider that the probate genealogy industry relies upon.

Emerging players

• 23andMe: Consumer DNA testing and genetic genealogy company. Relevant as a technology-enabled entrant into family history research whose DNA-matching capability could partially overlap with beneficiary verification in probate contexts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/findersprobate
• Facebookfacebook.com/findersinternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/finders-international-probate-genealogists

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Finders International