Litigation

Looming Credit Pullback Puts Structured Settlement Recipients in Financial Crack Dealers' Sights. BEWARE!

Posted on December 01, 2008
According to Oppenheimer banking analyst Meredith Whitney cited through Reuters, the U.S. credit card industry could pull back well over $2 trillion of credit lines over the next 18 months due to risk aversion and regulatory changes, leading to sharp...

DECEMBER 31 2008 DEADLINE REMINDER For Structured Settlement Industry

Posted on December 01, 2008
I reiterate that there are apparently a number of dishonorable settlement consultants in our midst affiliated with an NSSTA member firm who are purportedly SELLING structured settlement payee names and have purportedly partnered with a "cash now pusher" factoring entity...

JG Wentworth Silent on S&P Downgrade to "Junk" status

Posted on December 01, 2008
Why has JG Wentworth remained silent on its recent downgrade to CCC+ by Standard & Poors? That's junk status folks!Click here for the News section of the JG Wentworth web site. Not a word of confidence from the cheeky Mr....

And Now For Some "Timely News"... We've BEEN A Recession for 12 months

Posted on December 01, 2008
The Wall Street Journal alerts us that the U.S. entered a recession in December 2007, citing the official recession watchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research. NBER economists met on Friday and announced the day after Thanksgiving (when few...

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J.G. Wentworth Downgrade Is A Severe Test Of Hindert Credibility

Posted on November 30, 2008
The structured settlement industry will now await Patrick Hindert's response to the JG Wentworth downgrade by Standard & Poors. JG Wentworth "suck up" Patrick Hindert, a member of the NSSTA, SSP and former Executive Director of both, has so far...

"At JG WENTWORTH, WE need cash now"?

Posted on November 30, 2008
Are the fat Viking opera singers now belting out "We're JG Wentworth and WE need cash now!"? On November 26, 2008 Standard & Poor's cut counterparty and senior-secured bank loan ratings on J.G. Wentworth LLC, the "cash now pusher" firm...

Most Popular Structured Settlement Websites Monthly Report

Posted on November 29, 2008
Three Month Trailing Top 10 Traffic Rank (Alexa Rank as of 11/29/2008) of Structured Settlement and Settlement Planning Industry websites* (+ or- traffic from 10/26/2008 report). Lower number means more traffic. Who Are Ya? Beyond Structured Settlements Blog (Pat Hindert)...

What You Get Out of Factoring

Posted on November 28, 2008
Come to think of it you can quite a lot of silly things by "factoring" such as: A Fit Fat Groan Rat A Graft Torn Fartin' Cat Facing Tan Ant For Rain Rant Actor Far Art A Fin Racing Cart...

This Twit Must Learn To "Twitter" a/k/a J.G. Wentworth Structured Settlement Survey IRRELEVANT-2

Posted on November 28, 2008
Patrick Hindert continues his useless rambling in J.G. Wentworth Survey 3. We have already established that the J.G. Wentworth Structured Settlement Survey is irrelevant because it: Is not statistically relevant for numerous reasons including failure to use a random sample...

Structured Settlement Industry Should Watch Latest Microsoft Cybersquatter Case Closely

Posted on November 28, 2008
A Florida company has been charged with cybersquatting in a new lawsuit filed November 26, 2008 by MIcrosoft in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at Miami. Microsoft lists 23 Web addresses in the suit...

Pressman Settlements False Advertising is Misleading Attorneys and Tort Victims

Posted on November 26, 2008
Pressman Settlements Corporation of Amherst, NY and Miami , FL continues to falsely advertise on its website that it has full-market access to top-rated, financially secure life companies (issuing structured settlements). This author has confirmed today that there are two...

Aviva USA Video Feature Talking Points on Aviva Investment Strategy

Posted on November 26, 2008
With the recent market turmoil, Aviva USA, parent of structured settlement annuity issuers, Aviva Life and Annuity Company and Aviva Life and Annuity Company of New York is using a multimedia approach to take the opportunity over the next several...

Text Link Advertising Potentially Risky For Advertisers

Posted on November 26, 2008
Text link advertising is a form of promotion which for a price provides a highlighted hyperlink from the purchased key word to your website. What seems like a positive however, has a huge downside that could lead to the impression...

Factoring Broker Suggests That Judges Have Obligation to Require Selling Annuitant to Demonstrate Adequate Market Survey

Posted on November 24, 2008
Andrew Cravenho of Settlement Quotes, LLC suggests that structured settlement factoring transactions with discount rates that exceed 20% "will become more prevalent in the near future due to the (inevitable) increase in inflation caused by the downturn in the economy"...

Rhonda Bentzen IRC 5891 Flub Most Viewed Post on Speaking of Settlements Blog

Posted on November 24, 2008
It inspires confidence when the person on whom you are relying for professional advice knows what the heck they are talking about and it saps confidence when they don't. The financial literacy (or illiteracy as the case may be)of so...

Imperial Structured Settlements Flaunts Expensive Incentive Trip

Posted on November 24, 2008
After the media excoriated AIG for incentive trips as if they were the second coming of Dennis Koslowski, can one believe that cash now pusher Imperial Structured Settlements is actually flaunting its incentive trip to the Gansevoort Hotel in South...

Sales of FIXED Annuities Through Banks 80% GREATER in Q3 2008 Than Q3 2007 and 4% GREATER Than Q2 2008

Posted on November 24, 2008
Beacon Research, an independent research organization and application service provider, supplying fixed annuity product information with search and reporting tools to banks, TPMs, insurance companies and other subscribers has information that may be surprising to some of the doom and...

Structured Settlement Surveys Another "Shaggy Dog Story" By The Terrace Park Rambler

Posted on November 23, 2008
How does one cure digital diarrhea? Is there such a thing as Blogger's Bismol or Ploppler's Modium?On November 18, 2008 SSP and NSSTA member, and former Executive Director Patrick Hindert, of Terrace Park, Ohio, was back to his pedantic worst...

Forge Consulting Is Kicking Your Ass! Are You Happy?

Posted on November 21, 2008
The company whose 3 principals' moral compass guided them to each sign a declaration under penalty of perjury attesting to substantial defense work to the United States Department of Justice at the same exact time that they marketed to tort...

Attorney Lays Out "Cash Now Pushers' Case to Jack Up Costs To Tort Victims

Posted on November 21, 2008
Mike Green, Pennsylvania attorney who represents factoring companies has done a nice job of explaining some of the key concepts of factoring which appear in a post on the Settlement Capital blog (www.setcap.com) There are some important points in Mike...

JG Wentworth Structured Settlement Survey IRRELEVANT

Posted on November 19, 2008
The best way to avoid a biased or unrepresentative sample is to select a random sample. A random sample is defined as a sample where the probability that any individual member from the population being selected as part of the...

They're Top Of The Pay Per Click and We're "Having a Laugh"

Posted on November 16, 2008
There's an old English football terrace chant where one team's supporters (the league leaders) taunts the opposition supporters with memorable lyrics and an annoying tune called " Top of The League and 'Aving a Laugh" Today the structured settlement industry...

Hartford, Genworth and AEGON apply to become Bank Holding Companies

Posted on November 15, 2008
Several insurance groups with ties to the structured settlement industry submitted applications to become bank holding companies to the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) on Friday November 14, 2008.The Hartford Financial Services Group, parent of current structured annuity issuer Hartford...

Florida Structured Settlements... Best Practices

Posted on November 14, 2008
Section 626.99245 of the Florida statutes reads:In negotiating a structured settlement of claims brought by or on behalf of a claimant who is domiciled in this state, the structured settlement obligor must disclose in writing to the claimant or the...

Mortality Risk and Annuity Issuers

Posted on November 13, 2008
A recent memo from Liberty Life Assurance of Boston's Tom Donahue to its brokerage force detailed Liberty's recent project involving extensive research of medical data and a detailed and complex mortality study, which has brought them to the same conclusion...

How A Potentially True Statement Ruined A Competitor's Credibility

Posted on November 13, 2008
The following is a true story:A plaintiff was considering a United States Treasury Bond Structured Settlement Trust and one of our industry brethren said we also do T Bonds. When pressed by his own client the structured settlement broker was...

Mass Mutual "No Need For TARP"

Posted on November 13, 2008
Former structured settlement annuity issuer, Springfield, Mass.-based MassMutual announced November 7, 2008 it has no intention of participating in the US Treasury's TARP program. "MassMutual is well positioned, and has the financial strength and capital necessary to meet the needs...

Compliments from Readers and Observing The Results of Making a Difference Make The Effort Worthwhile

Posted on November 13, 2008
"I was emailing in hopes that you wouldnt mind answering a few questions without getting a sales pitch. All the others that I had emailed and have seen on the net were "cash now types" and have no concern of...

How Making A Potentially True Statement Ruined A Competitor's Credibility

Posted on November 13, 2008
The following is a true story:A plaintiff was considering a United States Treasury Bond Structured Settlement Trust and one of our industry brethren said he "also did T Bonds". When pressed by his competitor and the claims adjuster (his own...

Ben Lazy's Gossip Column Downgraded From "Big Draw" To "Mere Guffaw"

Posted on November 12, 2008
Ben Fun Ben Lazy.Whether you call it gossip or news Ben Fun (the "nom de plume" of the kick back to 90% of her settlement broker/settlement planner client paying factoring broker Rhonda Bentzen) is missing some of the comings and...

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