Litigation

Exploring the "In Force" Structured Settlement Market-1 (VIDEO)

Posted on May 19, 2010
If you could earn a 6% to 7.25% internal rate of return on your short to medium term money in this market with relatively low risk would you do it? In this video structured settlement expert and Registered Settlement Planner...

In Force Structured Annuities Discussion

Posted on May 18, 2010
Our video series on the market for in force annuities, including structured settlement annuity payment rights is due to air on Legal Broadcast Network this week. It may come as a surprise to some in the settlement industry that this...

New York Life Affirmed at AAA by Fitch as Outlook Stabilizes

Posted on May 17, 2010
Fitch Ratings announced today that it affirmed the ratings of New York Life Insurance Company at its highest rating of financial strength with a stable outlook. It has been a banner year for one of the nation's largest life insurance...

Settlement Consulting: Heed NY Insurance Dept Circular Concerning Service Fees and Inducements

Posted on May 16, 2010
Wellness Talks and an Annual Health Fair Some settlement consulting firms offer ancillary services that extend beyond the sale of annuities or other insurance products and charge a fee for those services. Where discounts may be offered to members of....

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NSSTA & SSP Annual Meetings: "Pedantic Pat" Drones On (And On) But

Posted on May 16, 2010
Like a campy horror show Pedantic Patrick Hindert posted his record setting 9th blog post about the SSP and NSSTA 2010 annual meetings. While Hindert continues to fill his summaries with filler and drivel like "approximately 10 people attended portions...

NSSTA & SSP Annual Meetings: Pedantic Pat's Droning "Emission" Contains Glaring "Omission"

Posted on May 16, 2010
Like a campy horror show, Pedantic Patrick Hindert posted an unprecedented 9th blog post about the SSP and NSSTA 2010 annual meetings. While Hindert continues to fill his commentary with factual but predictable filler and drivel like "approximately 10 people...

Settlement Consulting: Heed NY Insurance Dept Circular Concerning Service Fees and InducementsWellness Talks and an Annual Health Fair

Posted on May 16, 2010
Wellness Talks and an Annual Health Fair Some settlement consulting firms offer ancillary services that extend beyond the sale of annuities or other insurance products and charge a fee for those services. Where discounts may be offered to members of....

Compare Cost of Long Term Care Across The United States

Posted on May 15, 2010
Genworth Financial has produced an interactive map of the United States which breaks down the median cost of long term care by type and by state. Some really eye opening stuff. You can use the website to compare the costs...

Settlement Consultants: "Buffalo Soldiers"?

Posted on May 14, 2010
A downstate settlement consulting firm apparently with aspirations to be "Buffalo Soldiers" recently "marched" on Buffalo New York with claims to bring you "true plaintiff-based settlement consultants". This is a marketplace where we've seen: plaintiff exclusive plantiff exclusive "mutually exclusive"...

Structured Settlement Companies: In Force Annuity Rates Highlight Investor Confidence

Posted on May 14, 2010
Is there a significant shift in investor perception of insurer safety afoot? It may surprise some but individuals buying structured settlement payment rights appear to be willing to put up their capital and accept a transfer of payment rights to...

Burt Kroner on Benefits of Purchasing Structured Settlements From Tort Victims

Posted on May 14, 2010
Less than a year ago Burt Kroner, CEO of Client First Funding published Benefits of Purchasing Structured Settlement Annuities Directly From The Annuitant in NuWire Investor. It's a well written article. Here are just a few excerpts: Kroner: Purchaser has...

Workers Comp MSAs: CMS Drops Rated Age Bomb on Friday Afternoon

Posted on May 14, 2010
The Center For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sure knows how to drop the Bomb, The Rated Age Bomb From the latest of 13 CMS Memoranda... there is a new requirement for MSA submissions involving rated ages: ?Our organization certifies...

Society Settlement Planners Factoring Leadership "Bounces" A Lesson in Internet Futility

Posted on May 13, 2010
Look at new SSP director Rhonda Bentzen's bounce statistics from Alexa. Holy crap! In published statistics May 13 ,2010 (see below) during the last month 100% of her visitors left without seeing another page! The blog is held out as...

NSSTA 2010 Annual Meeting- Did Dan Clark Drop F- Bomb Or Not?

Posted on May 13, 2010
Some say that Patrick Hindert must have been hallucinating for alleging that motivational speaker Dan Clark dropped an F-Bomb during his presentation at the 2010. NSSTA annual meeting. It seems to be very much the case of "What-u Talking About"?...

Plaintiff Lawyers "Protect Yourself...Be Informed!" and Avoid The "Horror Show"

Posted on May 12, 2010
Plaintiff attorneys should retain a settlement planner or settlement consultant and should do so before crunch time if possible. The dynamic nature of the business and the sometimes life impacting significance of financial decisions means that you and your client...

"In Force" Fixed Term Annuities: Turn and Face The Change!

Posted on May 11, 2010
Stay tuned for my multi part video series on LBN which explores the market for "in force" Fixed Term Annuities (structured settlement payment rights and other cash flows like lotteries). No longer a pipe dream, the concept has recently become...

Weiss Group, LLC buys back Financial Institutions Ratings Business

Posted on May 10, 2010
Weiss Group, LLC, announced May 6, 2010 that it has bought back the bank and insurance company ratings company which it had sold to TheStreet in 2006, restoring the business to its wholly owned subsidiary, Weiss Ratings. Unlike A.M. Best,...

Structured Settlements vs Yo Yo Stock Market: The Choice Is Yours

Posted on May 10, 2010
If you do a structured settlement you can probably afford to play yo yo with a cute little puppy instead of playing yo yo with your money looking not so cute. Which game are you going to play?

Financial Literacy Moments of 2010-7 Qualified Assignment Company

Posted on May 10, 2010
I continue to be amazed at the seasoned professionals who publish incorrect information about basic structured settlement fundamentals. This appears on industry veteran Jack Meligan's website** in answer to the question "What are Structured Settlements?": "Instead of taking the entire...

SSP and NSSTA 2010 Annual Meetings-3: What's MIssing Patrick? And WHY?

Posted on May 09, 2010
Ever been hit up with a sales pitch where your intuition just tells you "the dude is leaving something out"? When that happens to me I'm motivated to ask " Is there something else I should be asking? Such is...

Financial Literacy Moments of 2010-6 Tax Exclusion for Structured Settlements

Posted on May 09, 2010
I happened upon a slick presentation about structured settlements by one of my industry brethren that includes the following: The title "Annuity: Always Tax Free A statement that the Governing US code and Tax Law is The Internal Revenue Code...

"Greeced PIIGS": Will There Be A 2010 Liquidity Crisis?

Posted on May 07, 2010
"Greeced PIIGS" ?The problem, as for exchange rates, is also the speed of the movement,? he warns. ?If spreads keep widening then markets could more quickly lose confidence and the problem would be the quantity of available financing, not the...

Rating Agencies Under Fire Again. This Time Over Sovereign Debt

Posted on May 07, 2010
" Even today, it as if nothing happened between '07 and '09" Joey McBrennan of Taipan Publishing on May 7, 2010, ?Too many people are relying on the rating agencies to determine the quality of their municipal bond holdings. What...

AIG Reports $1.5B Profit for Q1 2010

Posted on May 07, 2010
StreetInsider.com posted highlights from a conference call with President and CEO Robert Benmosche. Notable among other things is that AIG Reports a $1.5B Profit for Q1 2010. Confidence in the company appears to have increased, according to Benmosche, noting that...

John Darer Video on Stock Market Volatility and Safety of Structured Settlements

Posted on May 07, 2010
Today it's the case of "Ah Oh Here We Go Again". The market is down 280 points and then briefly goes positve before sinking to down 130 at the the time of writing. The Nasdaq has endured its biggest slide...

Sell Structured Settlement Payments More Than Once: May Need To Deal With MULTIPLE Companies for "Simple" Administrative Requests

Posted on May 07, 2010
A new issue has revealed itself with resoect to the "servicing" of structured settlement payments. I've previously written and podcasted about structured settlement servicing agreements which only come into play when: (1) A structured settlement annuitant sells only part of...

Structured Settlement Industry Annuity Production Q1 2010

Posted on May 07, 2010
The structured settlement industry combined annuity production for the 1st quarter of 2010 was $1,236,586,041 on 7,135 cases, according to our sources. The mean case size was $173,313. MetLife was the leading carrier with $319MM through the end of the...

Structured Settlement Annuity Industry Production Q1 2010

Posted on May 07, 2010
The structured settlement industry combined annuity production for the 1st quarter of 2010 was $1,236,586,041 on 7,135 cases, according to our sources. The mean case size was $173,313. MetLife was the leading carrier with $319MM through the end of the...

J.G. Wentworth's "Eephus Pitch"

Posted on May 06, 2010
Looks like the Phillies' security guards tasered the wrong person. Now JG Wentworth, or some people shilling for them, are running amok on a baseball field wondering how they can pay all their bills. Their crusty pudgy manager comes out...

Structured Settlement Accounting and Insurance Company Investment Challenges on Long Tail Liabilities

Posted on May 06, 2010
Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at an insurance company that writes structured settlements? After watching the paint dry, perhaps you've contemplated how these companies figure out how much to charge so they can afford to pay you...

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