Husband passed away and he never removed his ex-wife and added the new wife. What happens?

The beneficiary designation by the husband probably states, “(ex-wife’s name), wife of insured.” While she is no longer married to the insured, the courts have ruled that words such as “wife of the insured” is description of the relationship at the name the spouse was named. The name of the beneficiary itself is controlling. Therefore, the courts have held that the benefit is payable to the person named as beneficiary whether or not the descriptive term is correct.  If the ex-spouse is convicted of a crime involving the death of the insured, the contingent beneficiary would be paid.