As the Great Recession started to take its toll, seniors increasingly looked for liquidity in non traditional sources for their retirement. Many were quick to embrace the relatively new strategy of selling their life insurance policies in life settlements. Seniors with unwanted life insurance policies were attracted to the prospects of quick cash. However, life settlements proved to not be the panacea everyone had hoped they would be.
The current challenge seniors face when evaluating liquidity options is that their assets are worth the least when they need them the most. During the Great Recession, real estate prices have been depressed, CD's yielded paltry returns and stocks have seen very large haircuts across the board. Unfortunately, stocks, real estate and cash are where most seniors park their money. Selling a home outright or in a reverse mortgage is tough because of the real estate market. Stocks are often underwater and cash in bank accounts are generating negligible amounts of interest. Some have been lucky with gold and bonds, but most seniors have been drastically affected by the dire economic conditions facing the world over the past 2 years. As seniors looked to sell life insurance policies as life settlements during the worst economic downturn since the Depression, they were again faced with a harsh reality.
Seniors found that the value of their life insurance policies on the secondary market was also affected by the Great Recession. As credit markets and liquidity dried up, the ability of financial institutions to buy life insurance policies decreased. Their dry powder was reduced so to speak.
Some seniors sold their life insurance policies for relatively low life settlement valuations. Some weren't as lucky. Many policies went unsold due to lack of demand. Many policies that would have sold two and half years ago were surrendered or allowed to lapse. Any life settlement broker will tell you that they were flooded with policies that they couldn't sell. The supply far outweighed the demand.
While life settlements are lauded as an uncorrelated asset class, it is important to remember that basic economics still drive the life settlement market. Unfortunately, those that forgot that lesson learned the hard way when they found out life settlements aren't a silver bullet to their financial woes.
Life Settlements
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Life Settlement Broker Closes Doors
Life settlements broker Invescor Ltd. has shut down, citing the sluggish demand for the alternative investments last year. “You were looking at a perfect storm: The capital markets were constricted, and those who were buying policies were buying them low,” said Michael Leibowitz, president and chief executive.
He made the announcement in a memo to the firm's associates, and news of the closing was first reported in The Life Settlements Report. Invescor officially closed July 1.
In its life settlements business, Invescor was paid based on the offer price that investors quoted for a life insurance policy. But that activity slowed down last year and into the beginning of this year as institutional investors purchased fewer policies.
The slowdown in business also proved fatal to the life settlements group at The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. After dedicating significant resources to it, the company pulled the plug earlier this year.
Some institutional-investor activity is coming back, but the offers are still very low, and investors remain very selective about the policies they want to buy, Mr. Leibowitz said.
“It's just not enough volume to continue operating in that business model,” he said.
Invescor's broker-dealer — Invescor Wholesale BD Inc. — was was involved in the life settlements operation, but won't be shut down, Mr. Leibowitz said. He said that he isn't at liberty to discuss the broker-dealer in greater detail.
Observers said that the recent exits from the life settlements industry could make room for new participants.
“There will always be an ebb and flow in terms of funding sources, but certainly, investment banks and broker-dealers aren't the big players,” said Christian Evulich, vice president of business development at Amrita Financial Inc., a settlements broker. The new money is coming from domestic and international hedge funds, along with pension funds overseas, he said.
The slowdown in activity seems to have given way to a broader range of policies available to investors and an increase in funding sources, Mr. Evulich said.
But the numbers don't seem to bear that out just yet. The Amrita Life Settlement Index, which measures demand for insurance policies on the secondary market, hit 460 last month, down 14.3% from 536.6 in May.
“We're not alarmed that there are others exiting the business, and we wouldn't be surprised if there were others,” Mr. Evulich said.
By Darla Mercado, Investment News - July 11, 2010
He made the announcement in a memo to the firm's associates, and news of the closing was first reported in The Life Settlements Report. Invescor officially closed July 1.
In its life settlements business, Invescor was paid based on the offer price that investors quoted for a life insurance policy. But that activity slowed down last year and into the beginning of this year as institutional investors purchased fewer policies.
The slowdown in business also proved fatal to the life settlements group at The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. After dedicating significant resources to it, the company pulled the plug earlier this year.
Some institutional-investor activity is coming back, but the offers are still very low, and investors remain very selective about the policies they want to buy, Mr. Leibowitz said.
“It's just not enough volume to continue operating in that business model,” he said.
Invescor's broker-dealer — Invescor Wholesale BD Inc. — was was involved in the life settlements operation, but won't be shut down, Mr. Leibowitz said. He said that he isn't at liberty to discuss the broker-dealer in greater detail.
Observers said that the recent exits from the life settlements industry could make room for new participants.
“There will always be an ebb and flow in terms of funding sources, but certainly, investment banks and broker-dealers aren't the big players,” said Christian Evulich, vice president of business development at Amrita Financial Inc., a settlements broker. The new money is coming from domestic and international hedge funds, along with pension funds overseas, he said.
The slowdown in activity seems to have given way to a broader range of policies available to investors and an increase in funding sources, Mr. Evulich said.
But the numbers don't seem to bear that out just yet. The Amrita Life Settlement Index, which measures demand for insurance policies on the secondary market, hit 460 last month, down 14.3% from 536.6 in May.
“We're not alarmed that there are others exiting the business, and we wouldn't be surprised if there were others,” Mr. Evulich said.
By Darla Mercado, Investment News - July 11, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
J.P. Morgan Exiting Life Settlement Market
By Dealflow Media
J.P. Morgan is getting out of the life settlement market, a person familiar with the company said.
The person told The Life Settlements Wire that J.P. Morgan expects to wind down its operation over the next few months.
J.P. Morgan is the second major investment bank to exit the market in recent months. Goldman Sachs said it was leaving the market in January, disappointed in its lack of growth.
J.P. Morgan had entered the business around 2007. It had a smaller operation than its competitors, employing fewer than 10 people in its life finance business, the person familiar with the company said.
Rob Finfer, chief executive of Bethesda, Md.-based life settlement broker Integrity Capital Partners said he hasn’t seen J.P. Morgan purchasing policies for at least a year.
“I would not have referred to them as a major player in the life settlement space,” Finfer said. Still, “I’m disappointed when any funding source decides to leave the space, especially in the environment where we have so many excellent policies for sale.”
J.P. Morgan spokesman Brian Marchiony declined to comment.
J.P. Morgan is getting out of the life settlement market, a person familiar with the company said.
The person told The Life Settlements Wire that J.P. Morgan expects to wind down its operation over the next few months.
J.P. Morgan is the second major investment bank to exit the market in recent months. Goldman Sachs said it was leaving the market in January, disappointed in its lack of growth.
J.P. Morgan had entered the business around 2007. It had a smaller operation than its competitors, employing fewer than 10 people in its life finance business, the person familiar with the company said.
Rob Finfer, chief executive of Bethesda, Md.-based life settlement broker Integrity Capital Partners said he hasn’t seen J.P. Morgan purchasing policies for at least a year.
“I would not have referred to them as a major player in the life settlement space,” Finfer said. Still, “I’m disappointed when any funding source decides to leave the space, especially in the environment where we have so many excellent policies for sale.”
J.P. Morgan spokesman Brian Marchiony declined to comment.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Life Insurers to Settle with Life Settlements?
A recent article in Seeking Alpha examined the love hate relationship between life insurance carriers and the life settlement industry. If the carriers can't beat em, should they join em? Below is an excerpt from Clark Troy's article.
New York Life and the Actuarial Society of Greater New York hosted Michael Fasano of Fasano Associates for a seminar called “Mortality Curves: Lessons from Life Settlement Underwriting” on Friday, May 28. On the face of it, this would not seem very shocking, were it not for the enmity general shown to the life settlements industry by life insurers. Life settlements, and particularly stranger-owned life insurance (STOLI), have in recent years been the bête noire of the life insurance industry. Life insurance trade association the American Council of Life Insurers has vigorously lobbied for strong legislation protecting senior citizens (and its own profitability) from fraudulent life settlement origination such as STOLI, and large states and key life settlements markets such as New York and California have enacted such laws. The life settlements industry, acknowledging that the unsavory practices of STOLI have besmirched its image, also generally supports such legislation.
However, much as it may hate and fear the life settlements industry, life insurers and reinsurers have shown an interest in life expectancy providers such as Fasano Associates (the other two leaders are American Viatical Services and 21st Services), who estimate the longevity of senior citizens who are considering entering into a life settlement transactions. These vendors provide the key data point for evaluating life settlements and, in so doing, have accumulated considerable expertise and data assets for estimating how long older people with health problems are likely to live. This is obviously something life insurers are interested in too. Although the life expectancy providers have had some pretty major hiccups along the way, they’ve acquired enough domain knowledge that insurers are curious.
Could a life insurer or reinsurer seek to partner with or acquire a life expectancy provider? It’s not outside the realm of possibility, but it would depend on pricing, which would in turn depend on how the life settlements market was doing as a whole. For the life settlements market to flourish, institutional investors need to be in a risk-seeking mode. Through the first quarter of 2010, with accommodative fiscal policy successfully encouraging a global risk trade and thinning spreads between sovereign and corporate as well as G20 and emerging market debt, prospects for life settlements -- an asset with non-correlated fixed income like returns – might have been thought to be encouraging, although in fact the flows of capital towards life settlements slowed. The big institutional investors to date have been German, primarily pension funds, and German institutional investors have other things on their minds these days.
Originally Published - Seeking Alpha, Jun 2, 2010
New York Life and the Actuarial Society of Greater New York hosted Michael Fasano of Fasano Associates for a seminar called “Mortality Curves: Lessons from Life Settlement Underwriting” on Friday, May 28. On the face of it, this would not seem very shocking, were it not for the enmity general shown to the life settlements industry by life insurers. Life settlements, and particularly stranger-owned life insurance (STOLI), have in recent years been the bête noire of the life insurance industry. Life insurance trade association the American Council of Life Insurers has vigorously lobbied for strong legislation protecting senior citizens (and its own profitability) from fraudulent life settlement origination such as STOLI, and large states and key life settlements markets such as New York and California have enacted such laws. The life settlements industry, acknowledging that the unsavory practices of STOLI have besmirched its image, also generally supports such legislation.
However, much as it may hate and fear the life settlements industry, life insurers and reinsurers have shown an interest in life expectancy providers such as Fasano Associates (the other two leaders are American Viatical Services and 21st Services), who estimate the longevity of senior citizens who are considering entering into a life settlement transactions. These vendors provide the key data point for evaluating life settlements and, in so doing, have accumulated considerable expertise and data assets for estimating how long older people with health problems are likely to live. This is obviously something life insurers are interested in too. Although the life expectancy providers have had some pretty major hiccups along the way, they’ve acquired enough domain knowledge that insurers are curious.
Could a life insurer or reinsurer seek to partner with or acquire a life expectancy provider? It’s not outside the realm of possibility, but it would depend on pricing, which would in turn depend on how the life settlements market was doing as a whole. For the life settlements market to flourish, institutional investors need to be in a risk-seeking mode. Through the first quarter of 2010, with accommodative fiscal policy successfully encouraging a global risk trade and thinning spreads between sovereign and corporate as well as G20 and emerging market debt, prospects for life settlements -- an asset with non-correlated fixed income like returns – might have been thought to be encouraging, although in fact the flows of capital towards life settlements slowed. The big institutional investors to date have been German, primarily pension funds, and German institutional investors have other things on their minds these days.
Originally Published - Seeking Alpha, Jun 2, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Texas called Wild West Of Life Settlements.
As most know, life settlement legislation varies from state to state. Texas has been pegged as the "Wild West" for life settlements by Dave Lieber of the Star Telegram. He asserts that lax regulation and oversight fuel fly by night schemes. I can't disagree more from a life settlement broker's perspective. Their compliance requirements are thorough and involved. In fact, they have to approve every single page of a life settlement broker's website before it can be considered in compliance. Nonetheless, he has an interesting point of view. Below is an excerpt so you can make up your own mind:
Ninety-nine years ago, legendary U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. wrote an opinion that a life insurance policy was a person's property and could be sold.
A century later, the concept has morphed into "life settlement" contracts, also called "death bets" or "death contracts."
People who need quick cash can sell their policies to licensed brokers, who then sell them to third-party investors.
The investors pay the premiums until the person dies. Then all the benefits go to the investors instead of the original beneficiaries. If someone lives longer than expected, investors may lose money. Otherwise, the investor wins.
"You're betting on death," says Joe Rotunda, director of the Texas State Securities Board's enforcement division. "You're betting somebody is going to die by a certain date and you're not going to have to shell out any additional money until you see a return on your investment. It sounds good, but there's a lot of risk involved."
Life insurance policies are often bundled together and sold on Wall Street. These are called "death bonds." Investors don't know whose policies they are buying.
Under Texas law, policies sold this way must be registered as securities. But in practice, some life settlement contracts are kept off the grid. Brokers aren't always licensed, and the policies they sell aren't registered. That can lead to fraud.
In fact, Rotunda says of the Texas life settlement industry, "It is the Wild West."
"It's always been a problem, but the amount of fraud we're seeing now has, anecdotally, increased tremendously," he said.
As enforcement division chief, Rotunda leads investigations into life settlement cases. In April, the board accused a Plano company of not being licensed and registered and of making misleading promises to investors. Deception is a key component of making a case for securities fraud.
But enforcement is tough. Life settlements are not regulated as thoroughly as much of the rest of the insurance and securities market, Rotunda says. One problem: The term life settlement does not appear in the Texas Securities Act.
That means each allegation of fraud has to be individually examined to see if it can meet the broad terms for securities described in state law.
"It's not as straightforward or black-and-white as it would be in other states," Rotunda says.
That has made Texas attractive to some slick operators, others say.
"Texas is a hot spot," says Gloria Wolk, a North Carolina-based consumer advocate who focuses on life settlement fraud. "Texas has more people working as brokers and providers than any other state because they don't provide oversight. There is no regulation. When things get really hot about some company, with too many complaints, then the state goes and does something."
Rotunda acknowledges that his hands are sometimes tied by the law but says his agency still goes after those who break the rules.
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/05/01/2156969/texas-is-the-wild-west-of-life.html#ixzz0v1CUYfqf
Ninety-nine years ago, legendary U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. wrote an opinion that a life insurance policy was a person's property and could be sold.
A century later, the concept has morphed into "life settlement" contracts, also called "death bets" or "death contracts."
People who need quick cash can sell their policies to licensed brokers, who then sell them to third-party investors.
The investors pay the premiums until the person dies. Then all the benefits go to the investors instead of the original beneficiaries. If someone lives longer than expected, investors may lose money. Otherwise, the investor wins.
"You're betting on death," says Joe Rotunda, director of the Texas State Securities Board's enforcement division. "You're betting somebody is going to die by a certain date and you're not going to have to shell out any additional money until you see a return on your investment. It sounds good, but there's a lot of risk involved."
Life insurance policies are often bundled together and sold on Wall Street. These are called "death bonds." Investors don't know whose policies they are buying.
Under Texas law, policies sold this way must be registered as securities. But in practice, some life settlement contracts are kept off the grid. Brokers aren't always licensed, and the policies they sell aren't registered. That can lead to fraud.
In fact, Rotunda says of the Texas life settlement industry, "It is the Wild West."
"It's always been a problem, but the amount of fraud we're seeing now has, anecdotally, increased tremendously," he said.
As enforcement division chief, Rotunda leads investigations into life settlement cases. In April, the board accused a Plano company of not being licensed and registered and of making misleading promises to investors. Deception is a key component of making a case for securities fraud.
But enforcement is tough. Life settlements are not regulated as thoroughly as much of the rest of the insurance and securities market, Rotunda says. One problem: The term life settlement does not appear in the Texas Securities Act.
That means each allegation of fraud has to be individually examined to see if it can meet the broad terms for securities described in state law.
"It's not as straightforward or black-and-white as it would be in other states," Rotunda says.
That has made Texas attractive to some slick operators, others say.
"Texas is a hot spot," says Gloria Wolk, a North Carolina-based consumer advocate who focuses on life settlement fraud. "Texas has more people working as brokers and providers than any other state because they don't provide oversight. There is no regulation. When things get really hot about some company, with too many complaints, then the state goes and does something."
Rotunda acknowledges that his hands are sometimes tied by the law but says his agency still goes after those who break the rules.
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/05/01/2156969/texas-is-the-wild-west-of-life.html#ixzz0v1CUYfqf
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Brokers See Life Settlement Growth Opportunities
Thank God we are finally seeing some positive news from and about life settlement brokers. It appears things may be turning around in the life settlement industry! Finally! Below is an excerpt from a recent National Underwriter Magazine article by Trevor Thomas. It was published on 4/12/2010.
The life settlement business has been set back by the recession, but a number of factors are pointing to growth opportunities, according to settlement brokers speaking on at panel at the recent Life Settlement Summit in Miami.
More educated buyers and more realistic life expectancies are helping to create a demand for “quality paper,” said Mike Liebowitz, president and chief executive officer, Invescor Ltd., Farmington Hills, Mich. In addition, projected returns on settlement investments “are starting to be more realistic,” he said. “Buyers are coming back.”
Russel Dorsett, co-managing director of Select Life Corporation and director, Veris Settlement Partners, Rockville, Md., said the market “is coming back into balance. In 2009, there was a lot of paper and not enough buyers. Now we are rejecting three of five policies, so that’s improving.”
Rob Haynie, managing director, Life Insurance Settlements Inc. Fort Lauderdale, Fla., agreed there has been a recent rise in interest among buyers.
“There is more competitive bidding now than 12 months ago,” he said. “Capital is coming back now.”
But capital is looking for improved life expectancy projections, he said.
Jon B. Mendelsohn, president and chief executive officer, Ashar Group L.L.C., Orlando, Fla., says the settlement industry has helped consumers generate $1 billion from their life policies.
“We have a tremendous amount of legitimate inventories,” said Mendelsohn.
Members of the panel felt that increasing regulation of the life settlement industry by the states has been largely good for the industry.
Liebowitz said that 41 states, with 85% to 90% of the nation’s population, have regulations covering life settlements. This has helped stabilize the industry, he said.
“The fact that regulation is pervasive is a good thing all around,” Dorsett agreed. “Providers that don’t play by the rules are finding fewer places to play at all. We providers have to educate consumers and producers.”
In heavily regulated states, such as Virginia and Vermont, there is virtually no settlement activity, noted Dorsett.
“Other places, such as California and New York, will be good place to work.”
He said that although the industry can live with most recent state legislation, “there are some off-the-wall proposals being discussed. We can’t let down our guard; bad regulation once passed tends to spread to other jurisdictions.”
Haynie cited estimates by the American Council of Life Insurers, Washington that a total of $20 trillion in life face value is in force in the U.S. Yet 97% is in policies that ultimately lapse or are surrendered, he said.
“We try to get consumers good value,” he said.
Haynie said he thinks the industry needs to keep its message to seniors short, sweet and positive. “Seniors get turned off if you start with a negative,” he observed.
More than half of life insurance agents have a potential of substantial new income from settlements, Liebowitz said. “Agents often call looking for help for a client,” he reported.
Momentum for settlements dropped off in 2008-2009, but Liebowitz reported he recently has been having more conversations with life broker dealers.
“We’re starting to see momentum again,” he said. “We need legitimate, clean paper.”
“We have zero tolerance for any paper that does not seem to have originated legitimately,” Mendelsohn said. “We’ve had a tremendous amount of interest. The settlement industry is getting back to basics. We have serious players.”
Liebowitz said the life insurance industry is pushing back against life settlements “because they (insurers) realize they need to change. This industry will succeed; they can’t stop it.”
There has been a significant increase in people over-age-65 buying policies because more of them know life settlement is an option, Liebowitz reported. The vast majority of those who sell policies use the money for living expenses, he said.
The Life Settlement Summit was sponsored by National Underwriter Life & Health and other Summit Business Media publications.
The life settlement business has been set back by the recession, but a number of factors are pointing to growth opportunities, according to settlement brokers speaking on at panel at the recent Life Settlement Summit in Miami.
More educated buyers and more realistic life expectancies are helping to create a demand for “quality paper,” said Mike Liebowitz, president and chief executive officer, Invescor Ltd., Farmington Hills, Mich. In addition, projected returns on settlement investments “are starting to be more realistic,” he said. “Buyers are coming back.”
Russel Dorsett, co-managing director of Select Life Corporation and director, Veris Settlement Partners, Rockville, Md., said the market “is coming back into balance. In 2009, there was a lot of paper and not enough buyers. Now we are rejecting three of five policies, so that’s improving.”
Rob Haynie, managing director, Life Insurance Settlements Inc. Fort Lauderdale, Fla., agreed there has been a recent rise in interest among buyers.
“There is more competitive bidding now than 12 months ago,” he said. “Capital is coming back now.”
But capital is looking for improved life expectancy projections, he said.
Jon B. Mendelsohn, president and chief executive officer, Ashar Group L.L.C., Orlando, Fla., says the settlement industry has helped consumers generate $1 billion from their life policies.
“We have a tremendous amount of legitimate inventories,” said Mendelsohn.
Members of the panel felt that increasing regulation of the life settlement industry by the states has been largely good for the industry.
Liebowitz said that 41 states, with 85% to 90% of the nation’s population, have regulations covering life settlements. This has helped stabilize the industry, he said.
“The fact that regulation is pervasive is a good thing all around,” Dorsett agreed. “Providers that don’t play by the rules are finding fewer places to play at all. We providers have to educate consumers and producers.”
In heavily regulated states, such as Virginia and Vermont, there is virtually no settlement activity, noted Dorsett.
“Other places, such as California and New York, will be good place to work.”
He said that although the industry can live with most recent state legislation, “there are some off-the-wall proposals being discussed. We can’t let down our guard; bad regulation once passed tends to spread to other jurisdictions.”
Haynie cited estimates by the American Council of Life Insurers, Washington that a total of $20 trillion in life face value is in force in the U.S. Yet 97% is in policies that ultimately lapse or are surrendered, he said.
“We try to get consumers good value,” he said.
Haynie said he thinks the industry needs to keep its message to seniors short, sweet and positive. “Seniors get turned off if you start with a negative,” he observed.
More than half of life insurance agents have a potential of substantial new income from settlements, Liebowitz said. “Agents often call looking for help for a client,” he reported.
Momentum for settlements dropped off in 2008-2009, but Liebowitz reported he recently has been having more conversations with life broker dealers.
“We’re starting to see momentum again,” he said. “We need legitimate, clean paper.”
“We have zero tolerance for any paper that does not seem to have originated legitimately,” Mendelsohn said. “We’ve had a tremendous amount of interest. The settlement industry is getting back to basics. We have serious players.”
Liebowitz said the life insurance industry is pushing back against life settlements “because they (insurers) realize they need to change. This industry will succeed; they can’t stop it.”
There has been a significant increase in people over-age-65 buying policies because more of them know life settlement is an option, Liebowitz reported. The vast majority of those who sell policies use the money for living expenses, he said.
The Life Settlement Summit was sponsored by National Underwriter Life & Health and other Summit Business Media publications.
The life settlement business has been set back by the recession, but a number of factors are pointing to growth opportunities, according to settlement brokers speaking on at panel at the recent Life Settlement Summit in Miami.
More educated buyers and more realistic life expectancies are helping to create a demand for “quality paper,” said Mike Liebowitz, president and chief executive officer, Invescor Ltd., Farmington Hills, Mich. In addition, projected returns on settlement investments “are starting to be more realistic,” he said. “Buyers are coming back.”
Russel Dorsett, co-managing director of Select Life Corporation and director, Veris Settlement Partners, Rockville, Md., said the market “is coming back into balance. In 2009, there was a lot of paper and not enough buyers. Now we are rejecting three of five policies, so that’s improving.”
Rob Haynie, managing director, Life Insurance Settlements Inc. Fort Lauderdale, Fla., agreed there has been a recent rise in interest among buyers.
“There is more competitive bidding now than 12 months ago,” he said. “Capital is coming back now.”
But capital is looking for improved life expectancy projections, he said.
Jon B. Mendelsohn, president and chief executive officer, Ashar Group L.L.C., Orlando, Fla., says the settlement industry has helped consumers generate $1 billion from their life policies.
“We have a tremendous amount of legitimate inventories,” said Mendelsohn.
Members of the panel felt that increasing regulation of the life settlement industry by the states has been largely good for the industry.
Liebowitz said that 41 states, with 85% to 90% of the nation’s population, have regulations covering life settlements. This has helped stabilize the industry, he said.
“The fact that regulation is pervasive is a good thing all around,” Dorsett agreed. “Providers that don’t play by the rules are finding fewer places to play at all. We providers have to educate consumers and producers.”
In heavily regulated states, such as Virginia and Vermont, there is virtually no settlement activity, noted Dorsett.
“Other places, such as California and New York, will be good place to work.”
He said that although the industry can live with most recent state legislation, “there are some off-the-wall proposals being discussed. We can’t let down our guard; bad regulation once passed tends to spread to other jurisdictions.”
Haynie cited estimates by the American Council of Life Insurers, Washington that a total of $20 trillion in life face value is in force in the U.S. Yet 97% is in policies that ultimately lapse or are surrendered, he said.
“We try to get consumers good value,” he said.
Haynie said he thinks the industry needs to keep its message to seniors short, sweet and positive. “Seniors get turned off if you start with a negative,” he observed.
More than half of life insurance agents have a potential of substantial new income from settlements, Liebowitz said. “Agents often call looking for help for a client,” he reported.
Momentum for settlements dropped off in 2008-2009, but Liebowitz reported he recently has been having more conversations with life broker dealers.
“We’re starting to see momentum again,” he said. “We need legitimate, clean paper.”
“We have zero tolerance for any paper that does not seem to have originated legitimately,” Mendelsohn said. “We’ve had a tremendous amount of interest. The settlement industry is getting back to basics. We have serious players.”
Liebowitz said the life insurance industry is pushing back against life settlements “because they (insurers) realize they need to change. This industry will succeed; they can’t stop it.”
There has been a significant increase in people over-age-65 buying policies because more of them know life settlement is an option, Liebowitz reported. The vast majority of those who sell policies use the money for living expenses, he said.
The Life Settlement Summit was sponsored by National Underwriter Life & Health and other Summit Business Media publications.
The life settlement business has been set back by the recession, but a number of factors are pointing to growth opportunities, according to settlement brokers speaking on at panel at the recent Life Settlement Summit in Miami.
More educated buyers and more realistic life expectancies are helping to create a demand for “quality paper,” said Mike Liebowitz, president and chief executive officer, Invescor Ltd., Farmington Hills, Mich. In addition, projected returns on settlement investments “are starting to be more realistic,” he said. “Buyers are coming back.”
Russel Dorsett, co-managing director of Select Life Corporation and director, Veris Settlement Partners, Rockville, Md., said the market “is coming back into balance. In 2009, there was a lot of paper and not enough buyers. Now we are rejecting three of five policies, so that’s improving.”
Rob Haynie, managing director, Life Insurance Settlements Inc. Fort Lauderdale, Fla., agreed there has been a recent rise in interest among buyers.
“There is more competitive bidding now than 12 months ago,” he said. “Capital is coming back now.”
But capital is looking for improved life expectancy projections, he said.
Jon B. Mendelsohn, president and chief executive officer, Ashar Group L.L.C., Orlando, Fla., says the settlement industry has helped consumers generate $1 billion from their life policies.
“We have a tremendous amount of legitimate inventories,” said Mendelsohn.
Members of the panel felt that increasing regulation of the life settlement industry by the states has been largely good for the industry.
Liebowitz said that 41 states, with 85% to 90% of the nation’s population, have regulations covering life settlements. This has helped stabilize the industry, he said.
“The fact that regulation is pervasive is a good thing all around,” Dorsett agreed. “Providers that don’t play by the rules are finding fewer places to play at all. We providers have to educate consumers and producers.”
In heavily regulated states, such as Virginia and Vermont, there is virtually no settlement activity, noted Dorsett.
“Other places, such as California and New York, will be good place to work.”
He said that although the industry can live with most recent state legislation, “there are some off-the-wall proposals being discussed. We can’t let down our guard; bad regulation once passed tends to spread to other jurisdictions.”
Haynie cited estimates by the American Council of Life Insurers, Washington that a total of $20 trillion in life face value is in force in the U.S. Yet 97% is in policies that ultimately lapse or are surrendered, he said.
“We try to get consumers good value,” he said.
Haynie said he thinks the industry needs to keep its message to seniors short, sweet and positive. “Seniors get turned off if you start with a negative,” he observed.
More than half of life insurance agents have a potential of substantial new income from settlements, Liebowitz said. “Agents often call looking for help for a client,” he reported.
Momentum for settlements dropped off in 2008-2009, but Liebowitz reported he recently has been having more conversations with life broker dealers.
“We’re starting to see momentum again,” he said. “We need legitimate, clean paper.”
“We have zero tolerance for any paper that does not seem to have originated legitimately,” Mendelsohn said. “We’ve had a tremendous amount of interest. The settlement industry is getting back to basics. We have serious players.”
Liebowitz said the life insurance industry is pushing back against life settlements “because they (insurers) realize they need to change. This industry will succeed; they can’t stop it.”
There has been a significant increase in people over-age-65 buying policies because more of them know life settlement is an option, Liebowitz reported. The vast majority of those who sell policies use the money for living expenses, he said.
The Life Settlement Summit was sponsored by National Underwriter Life & Health and other Summit Business Media publications.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Goldman Sachs Exits Life Settlements
National Financial Partners Corp. has taken on full ownership of Institutional Life Services LLC, a venture that The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. recently exited.
Institutional Life Services LLC started out in 2007 as a venture between NFP, affiliates of Goldman and Genworth Financial Inc. Back then, it was intended to act as a life settlement exchange.
Genworth and Goldman have since pulled out of the investment, but. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, NFP took on full ownership of the enterprise in December.
ILS will act as a life settlement provider, rather than as a life settlement index, according to the filing. NFP also bought full ownership of Institutional Life Administration LLC.
NFP’s acquisition of the full ILS business came just before Goldman announced its departure from the life settlements arena by shuttering its QxX mortality index and closing down Longmore Capital, a life settlements provider.
Goldman’s vision of a booming institutional market simply wasn’t bearing fruit, Goldman spokesman Michael DuVally had said.
NFP has been a player on the retail side of the life settlements business. Some of its affiliates provide those services to investors who want to sell an unneeded policy.
That corner of the business hasn’t always been simple, though. NFP’s commission and fee revenue declined last year to $948.3 million, from $1.15 billion in 2008. The dropoff stemmed, in large part, from falling sales of the company’s retail life and life settlements products, which tend to be high-commission products
Further, the company’s affiliates have had a number of legal brushes related to life settlements. Media personality Larry King sued NFP-affiliated firm The Meltzer Group Inc. in 2007 for breach of fiduciary duty. He claimed he was told to buy $10 million in life insurance coverage and then sell it to another party for $550,000. Mr. King received a settlement in that claim.
In another suit filed last year in Ohio, Louis Levin, an 81-year-ancient investor, claimed NFP-affiliate Howard Kaye Insurance Agency Inc. — along with principal Howard Kaye and Barry Kaye and Associates Inc. — advised him to buy a $5 million policy. According to the suit, the defendants told Mr. Levin he would earn a “substantial profit” for selling the policy on the life settlements market. The firm wasn’t able to locate buyers, and Mr. Levin wound up spending $322,000 on premiums. He is suing for breach of contract. NFP itself was not named in any of these suits.
Institutional Life Services LLC started out in 2007 as a venture between NFP, affiliates of Goldman and Genworth Financial Inc. Back then, it was intended to act as a life settlement exchange.
Genworth and Goldman have since pulled out of the investment, but. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, NFP took on full ownership of the enterprise in December.
ILS will act as a life settlement provider, rather than as a life settlement index, according to the filing. NFP also bought full ownership of Institutional Life Administration LLC.
NFP’s acquisition of the full ILS business came just before Goldman announced its departure from the life settlements arena by shuttering its QxX mortality index and closing down Longmore Capital, a life settlements provider.
Goldman’s vision of a booming institutional market simply wasn’t bearing fruit, Goldman spokesman Michael DuVally had said.
NFP has been a player on the retail side of the life settlements business. Some of its affiliates provide those services to investors who want to sell an unneeded policy.
That corner of the business hasn’t always been simple, though. NFP’s commission and fee revenue declined last year to $948.3 million, from $1.15 billion in 2008. The dropoff stemmed, in large part, from falling sales of the company’s retail life and life settlements products, which tend to be high-commission products
Further, the company’s affiliates have had a number of legal brushes related to life settlements. Media personality Larry King sued NFP-affiliated firm The Meltzer Group Inc. in 2007 for breach of fiduciary duty. He claimed he was told to buy $10 million in life insurance coverage and then sell it to another party for $550,000. Mr. King received a settlement in that claim.
In another suit filed last year in Ohio, Louis Levin, an 81-year-ancient investor, claimed NFP-affiliate Howard Kaye Insurance Agency Inc. — along with principal Howard Kaye and Barry Kaye and Associates Inc. — advised him to buy a $5 million policy. According to the suit, the defendants told Mr. Levin he would earn a “substantial profit” for selling the policy on the life settlements market. The firm wasn’t able to locate buyers, and Mr. Levin wound up spending $322,000 on premiums. He is suing for breach of contract. NFP itself was not named in any of these suits.
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