Litigation

"A Rose by Any Other Name..."

Posted on August 06, 2008
As of August 6, 2008 Bentzen Funding Solutions no longer refers to its gossip as "gossip". "After all, I have been told by many that it is my gossip column that you enjoy most! My gossip postings are short and...

Poll Created Comparing Structured Settlements, Municipal Bonds and Sex to Benefit Factoring Companies

Posted on August 06, 2008
The following cash now pushers aim to profit off an Upmeter poll that compares Structured Settlements, Municipal Bonds, Sex and another undescribables though Google Adsense ads. Download structured_settlement_vs.pdf Peachtree Settlement Funding Woodbridge Investments Novation Capital Client First Funding Legal Funds...

"Rusty" Structured Settlements Calculator Allows People To "Optimally Monetize" Their Ignorance

Posted on August 06, 2008
Who is this man? This man is the registrant of a website called Structured Settlements Calculator that does anything but what it says. His name is Daniel Rust and he's from the Seattle area of Washington state and is Chief...

Factoring Pay For Access... Form of Kick Back? Does It Raise Ethical Question For Lawyers?

Posted on August 04, 2008
The purported "generous financial contribution" made by a factoring operative to support the marketing efforts of a structured settlement brokerage highlights a potential danger facing tort victims. Factoring companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions on television...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

It Makes You Just Want To Hurl

Posted on August 03, 2008
A structured settlement is an important financial planning tool for tort victims, if properly used. Like any financial product it has its place. But, in my opinion, an aggressive approach that involves emphasizing the factorability of a structure as a...

Knight in Daze After "Cash Now Pusher" Petiton Denied By Orange County Judge

Posted on August 03, 2008
An Orange County, New York man who squandered approximately 60% of the $1 million net settlement he received in April 2006, was denied a petition to sell 54.5% of his monthly structured settlement payment rights by a New York Judge....

Selling a Structured Settlement A Wise Investment?

Posted on August 02, 2008
Kudos to a factoring company thought leader Andrew Cravenho who writes a responsible post that defends the value of structured settlements in the current environment and makes for a pleasant diversion from the "cash now pushers" that employ "the trickling...

Bentzen Misinforms (AGAIN) on IRC 5891 in Summit Settlements Channel Video

Posted on August 02, 2008
An otherwise impressive start for the Summit Settlements Channel on LBN is blighted by a video in which Rhonda Bentzen appears in a video with interviewer Mark Wahlstrom perpetuating the myth that Internal Revenue Code Section 5891 (IRC 5891) made...

An Open Letter to All NSSTA Members

Posted on August 01, 2008
On September 28, 2006 , following a telephone conversation the previous day, a letter entitled Structured Settlements and Pretender "Trusts" was sent by NSSTA attorney John Stanton via UPS overnight to Judge Paul A. Victor, of the New York State...

Former NSSTA President Hero or Goat?

Posted on August 01, 2008
Demonstrating the "strategic intelligence" of his colleagues on the Ringler Radio bus at the AAJ meeting in Philadelphia last month, former NSSTA President David Ringler apparently approached the head of a state trial lawyer association, with the same "case in...

"Rhond Milks Booth" at AAJ Convention!

Posted on August 01, 2008
News still trickling in from last month's 2008 American Association of Justice (AAJ) meeting in Philadelphia... Rhonda Bentzen, factoring broker with Bentzen Funding Solutions and the settlement industry "town gossip" at the Halpern Group booth chumming a Halpern Group Vice-President...

New York Life "AAA" Affirmed by Fitch Rating

Posted on August 01, 2008
On July 31, 2008 Fitch Ratings affirmed the "AAA" insurer financial strength ratings of of New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) and its wholly owned subsidiary, New York Life Insurance and Annuity Corporation (NYLIAC). Among other reasons cited, New York...

Colonial Settlement Partners Nothing Special

Posted on July 31, 2008
A factoring company like Colonial Settlement Partners is nothing special, a dime a dozen. Colonial posted the following false statements in its sell structured settlements blog on July 30, 2008: "Structured settlements are nothing more than scheduled equal payments that...

Rock Head Factoring Shill Expels Non Sequitur

Posted on July 30, 2008
"Structured settlements are mainly created for personal injury lawsuits in which an individual is not awarded a structured settlement" Structured Settlement Illiterati member "ramkumars" on a blog called Rock's Arena. July 30, 2008 Google Blog Alert

Does Reference From "The Community Gossip" Look Good on Your Resume?

Posted on July 30, 2008
Don't be surprised if someone is looking for you on the Internet, for example on Zoom Info and a reference to Rhonda Bentzen comes up. Do you think having your name associated with a factoring broker gossip queen is good...

Cobain in The Membrane? Advertising Oversight or Subliminal Suggestion?

Posted on July 30, 2008
I often chuckle at advertisers who pick inappropriate background music in their advertising. A few years ago a Jaguar ad featured a Jag cruising through London to the tune of London Calling by The Clash, a song about nuclear war....

Forge Consulting No Longer Plaintiff "Exclusive"?

Posted on July 30, 2008
This author has noted the beginnings of a paradigm shift in the structured settlement industry. Are hard core "plaintiff structured settlement" zealots shifting gears and moving towards the center, or is it just a marketing ploy? Forge Consulting, LLC has...

Tort Victims Don't Have The Luxury of Hindsight When Making Life Impacting Financial Settlement Decisions

Posted on July 29, 2008
According to a recent weekly report from Wall Street Journal Market Data Group, if you invested $1,000 on December 31, 2007 in each of the current Dow Jones Industrial Index stock components (30 companies), your return would have been $25,448,...

Shouldn't "The Nation's Largest and Oldest Settlement Annuity Company" Be Setting An Example?

Posted on July 29, 2008
Ringler Associates, Inc. claims the "prestige hook" of being nation's oldest and largest settlement annuity company. If this is the case then why do its associates feel the need to denigrate its competitors to trial lawyers instead of saying what...

"Non-Qualified Annuities Rule!"- Insider Info from PPI Cash Needs Clarification

Posted on July 29, 2008
On July 16, 2008 PPI Cash, a factoring company out of Lake Worth , Florida has published a blog called "Non- Qualified Annuities Rule" offering tips "to structured settlement annuity recipients and lottery winners" ,in following up to the recent...

How Many "Manure Spreaders" Are Taking Structured Settlement Factoring Vig?

Posted on July 28, 2008
It would be interesting to see how many of the individuals circulating "the Kessler letter", the "case in question" and other documents concerning Halpern Group are taking kickbacks from factoring companies or factoring brokers paying them. It is ironic that...

Novation Capital... Competition, or False Advertising?

Posted on July 28, 2008
Is Novation Capital competing with structured settlement annuity brokers and alternative periodic payment providers of "qualified funding instruments"? Read this Google ad and you be the judge: Structured Settlements Call the Experts at Novation and Get a Free Quote Now...

Structured Settlement Web Site Monthly Traffic Report

Posted on July 27, 2008
Three Month Trailing Top 10 Traffic Rank (Alexa Rank as of 07/27/2008) of Structured Settlement and Settlement Planning Industry websites* (+ or- traffic from 06/27/2008 report). Lower number means more traffic. Who Are Ya? Beyond Structured Settlements Blog (Pat Hindert)...

What "Deuce" Were You Looking At?

Posted on July 25, 2008
Stewie Griffin's seminal retort is "What the deuce are you looking at?" while Deal Flow Media's "sleuths" should be asked what "deuce" are you looking at? This time the DFM "knowledge workers" tried to "make a pair" out of an...

The Value of Structured Settlements...A Res Ipsa Case

Posted on July 24, 2008
The value of structured settlements to investors... "We are very gratified that the capital markets recognize the nature of the receivables* we originate. The combination of: near zero correlation to other assets and market conditions zero convexity* virtually bullet-proof origination...

Quit Pluckin' Around!

Posted on July 24, 2008
The chicken has clucked and clucked and "plucked around", rather than offering even a shred of evidence to support his postulate that factoring is route one to structured settlement industry growth. Patrick Hindert has NOT laid the proverbial golden egg,...

Structured Settlement Quotes More Best Practices

Posted on July 24, 2008
I see that on Speaking of Settlements, my friend Mark Wahlstrom has brought out the street sweeper this morning on the subject of structured settlement quoting practices. It's a good venting of issues that appear from time to time. It's...

Is Newburg Chang Cabal Illegally Profiteering Against The Structured Settlement Industry?

Posted on July 23, 2008
A pair of individuals from California with no respect for trademarks have started a site site called structuredssettlements.com (note the double "ss"!) on it appear web pages where the URL (address) includes the names of virtually every structured settlement industry...

The "Bangalore Torpedo" From Tulsa

Posted on July 22, 2008
It's a bit early for our monthly structured settlement industry traffic survey, but in a preview Robert Risk deserves mention for re-engineering his website and achieving a massive traffic increase. Risk appears to be going international with a remarkable 48...

CT Congressional Hopeful, Jim Himes, Supports Regulation of Non Traditional Financial Institutions

Posted on July 22, 2008
On the stump in Fairfield, CT yesterday as part of a 17 Towns in 17 Days campaign tour, 4th District Democratic nominee Jim Himes stated that "selling debt (mortgages, loans) should be regulated just as selling securities is". Having spoken...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.