Eligible Greeks may submit claims for Ottoman-era benefits

DESCENDANTS of persons insured with New York Life Insurance Company during the years 1882-1914 may submit claims for benefits.

According to an announcement, New York Life Insurance Company, began selling life insurance policies in the Ottoman Empire in 1882. However, following the turmoil caused by the outbreak of World War I, New York Life stopped selling policies in Europe and in the Ottoman Empire after 1914.

The company cites various reference works and other sources which indicate that “many persons of Greek ancestry living in the Ottoman Empire at the outbreak of World War I were displaced or perished between 1915 and 1923”.

After searching its records, the insurance company found out that it had received no claims and thus paid no benefits or cash value on some policies referred to as the ”Greek Policies”.

In order to encourage claims upon the Greek Policies, New York Life established the Greek Life Insurance Policy Programme. Descendants of persons insured under the Greek Policies can visit the website www.greekinsuranceclaims.com and submit claims for benefits.

The website contains the list of 1031 persons insured, 26 of whom have Cyprus as the insured’s country.

In case those interested do not get answers to their questions on the website, they may communicate with the company by calling the US with no charge at 001.888.922.2973, or Australia: 001180033311144, France/Germany/Greece/Italy: 0080033311144, and by e-mail: [email protected].

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.