People with links to Hertfordshire have an above average chance of sitting on an unclaimed fortune, according to new research.
The county placed ninth in a countdown of UK areas with the largest number of unclaimed estates (167); Greater London took the top spot with 2,355, followed by Surrey (362) and the West Midlands (348).
Where the highest rates of unclaimed estates were concerned, Herts scored even higher; while Surrey came top with 30.42 per 100,000 people, Herts was seventh with 14.1.
Investing Reviews used government and Office for National Statistics data to make its findings, concluding that the amount of unclaimed inheritance in UK estates is likely to stand at more than £77m.
Not surprisingly, people with the surname Smith are most likely to be sitting on an unclaimed fortune, with 129 estates in their name UK-wide, followed by 86 for Jones and 54 in the name Taylor.
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