Our History

Serving Our Clients for over 30 Years

Edward Prior founded Prior and Associates in 1991 after a stint at the city desk at the Rocky Mountain News. He parlayed his skills as an investigative reporter specializing in finding missing persons and solving cold cases into finding heirs to Estates and people or business entities who had lost or unclaimed funds.

By the mid-1990s Prior established a wide range of connections within the Asset Recovery Industry, and cultivated excellent sources with reporting companies and holders of lost or suspended accounts that would serve him well in future claims payments.

His solid relationships with these entities (known as “holders”) including transfer agents, companies, courts and government agencies enabled him to serve his clients well. Especially appreciated by many clients is his ability to facilitate speedy payment of claim regardless of the nuance of a particular account.

Fast forward to 2016 with the industry ever constantly evolving and now becoming more of a service than a search. Clients expect asset recovery companies to manage their claim from A to Z, to ensure speedy payment of their claim. This includes advancing of all upfront costs associated with the claim no matter how large or how small the costs, including possible legal fees associated with an estate administration.

Prior and Associates maintains an extensive network or experienced attorneys in most major cities. He and his staff are consistently accessible to their clients on a daily basis. Emails and telephone messages are responded to promptly – usually the same day or at the latest within 24 hours.

Edward Prior is a hands-on manager who oversees the process from claim to payment of all of his clients.

Company Background

How had Prior built his company? He had formulated a successful business plan that incorporated parties to wills and trusts, estate succession, intestate succession, corporation succession, limited partnerships, bankruptcies and succession to all nature of business entities, living or dead.

The plan involved a lot of right brain thinking. “We always set out to answer a key question, or solve a key problem. Like who was so and so, and where is he now? How did such and such a company go out of business and what happened to the money? Who gets it in the end, and how can we prove ownership.”

The key to Prior’s success? “We treat every client the same, no matter how big or small the account. It’s all about being professional. We don’t just find the money for someone, we find the proof to account that the holder needs to pay their claim. We look at our clients as our lifeline to success. If they don’t think we’ve performed, how can we ask them to hold up their end of the bargain, which is paying our commission when they get their money?”

Our ideal case is an heir or a subject who has money out there for whatever reason, who everybody else has tried to find to no avail, and who really really needs the money. We know they’re there. And we know we can find them. And when we do it will be good for them and it will be good for us.”