If you are administering an estate, you may need to transfer shares into the names of beneficiaries or sell the holding.

The first step is to write to us at:

Equiniti Aspect House Spencer Road Lancing West Sussex BN99 6DA

telling us what you are going to do. We will then place a temporary marker on the register to ensure that wherever possible, we do not issue further dividend payments in the shareholder's name. We will also send you the forms that you will need to complete.

There are two ways of re-registering the holding, depending on the size of the estate.

Large Estates

If the estate is large, you may need to obtain a grant of representation. This is a term that describes the document that appoints the representatives who will administer the estate. Your solicitor will be able to advise you how to do this or you can contact the Probate Registry (England & Wales), Sheriff's Court (Scotland) or Royal Courts of Justice (Northern Ireland) for more details. Their number is in Yellow Pages or the Phone Book.

We will then ask you to return the completed forms with an 'office copy' of the grant. This is a copy of the front page of the document which has been sealed by the Probate Registry, Sheriff's Court or Royal Courts of Justice.

If you are going to transfer the shares, we will ask you to complete a transfer form and return it to us with the share certificates for the holding. We will then issue a certificate in the new name.

Small Estates

If the estate is small, with relatively few assets, and you do not need to obtain a grant of representation, many companies have special arrangements designed to make it easier to sell or transfer the shares.

To qualify the total value of the estate must be below the inheritance tax limit and the value of any stock or shareholding should not exceed £10,000. The Indemnity forms that we send you must be countersigned on behalf of Royal Sun Alliance plc. A fee of £34.50 is payable for each Indemnity. There is also one fixed administration charge of £35.25 for this special arrangement. If you are going to apply for a UK grant of representation you will not be able to use the small estates procedure. The original death certificate is also required.

To follow this procedure, please write to us with a copy of the death certificate, confirming that the value of the estate is below this threshold and we will send you the forms you need.

Shares in Joint Names
If shares were held in joint names, the account can simply be re-registered in the sole name of the other holder. We will need a photocopy of the death certificate to amend the register as well as the share certificates so that we can issue replacements in the new name.