What happened to my late wife's £8,000 in Alliance and Leicester?

My wife died in March. She had opened a two-part account in June 2008 which was £14,000 with Legal & General and £8,000 with Alliance & Leicester at 9% for a year. When I contacted A&L, it said the link no longer operated and the £8,000 had been transferred to L&G. Each company claims the other has the money. JB, Stourton, South Staffordshire A&L has put you through unnecessary additional stress. Your wife's £8,000 is still safely with the bank. The L&G investment continues but the A&L element matured after one year. It was reinvested in a fixed rate bond and the £687 interest had been sent to your wife by cheque. A&L is sending you a hamper to apologise for the poor service. You can email Margaret Dibben at [email protected] or write to Margaret Dibben, Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU and include a telephone number. Do not enclose SAEs or original documents. The newspaper accepts no legal responsibility for advice.