New York has instituted new regulations requiring all life insurers marketing in the state to regularly search a government database of recent deaths, seeking deceased policyholders so beneficiaries who have not made claims can be paid.

New York insurance regulators fined 15 insurers a total of $2.7 million for failing to notify small businesses of their eligibility to buy special coverage.

A New York investigation into how insurance companies track life insurance policyholders and their beneficiaries resulted in more than 32,000 payments totaling $262.2 million, more than four times its tally in December.

The New York Department of Financial Services is requiring the largest force-placed insurers in the state to give details on their expenses, claims payments and profits to determine the validity of their homeowners insurance rates.

The New York State Senate unanimously confirmed Benjamin M. Lawsky, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s chief of staff, as superintendent of the Department of Financial Services (DFS).