Litigation

The Society of Settlement Planners has broken new ground in electing factoring company intermediary Rhonda Bentzen of Franklin, Tennessee to its Board of Directors.Now THAT'S ballsy!

While the SSP initially took in factoring money from companies such as Peachtree Settlement Funding , Strategic Capital (with whom Bentzen previously affiliated) and Bentzen Funding Solutions, back in 2005-2006, it subsequently voted to bar all factoring companies as members, or sponsors at its meetings, except for Rhonda Bentzen. The sole factoring industry representative as an "honorary" dues paying SSP member was installed as its membership chairperson despite the obvious conflict of interest. Bentzen was effectively put in place as a "gatekeeper" to keep her competition out. Our "eye in the sky"

informs us that Bentzen had a conniption when Patrick Hindert showed up to the SSP Annual with HIS factoring "date", purportedly a former JG Wentworth "mouthpiece".

However, undisclosed sources say that without Bentzen the SSP would not have been able to operate over the years.

QUESTIONS:

1. Is having a factoring representative on your Board good or bad for your organization when you are marketing structured settlements and settlement planning services to trial lawyers? 
2. Will we ever see the National Structured Settlements Trade Association open its membership to the secondary market, even for an "honorary member?
3. Will it be SSP, as opposed to NSSTA, that sets the standards for the marketing of "in-force annuities" to tort victims as a complementary financial planning tool?

OTHER NEWS: Jason Lazarus of Delta is the new President, Charles Schell of Forge Consulting, the new Vice-President and Jack Meligan of SPI, former SSP President, returns to the Board.