Litigation

Glossary of Structured Settlement Terms From GotTrouble.Com is Useless Spam

Posted on September 09, 2009
If you are seeking the meaning or definition behind a keyword related to structured settlements one glossary not worth your time is GotTrouble.com. Essentially Got Trouble.com Glossary of Structured Settlement Terms contains only 11 terms and only about 33% relate...

"Dirty Barry" Smokes Brooklyn Investors in Brooklyn Ponzi Scheme

Posted on September 09, 2009
"Go ahead, I'll Take Your Pay!" "Do U Feel Lucky Punk?" Accused scam artist Philip Barry purportedly told investors he was investing in stock options while instead allegedly splurging on personal real estate and a mail-order porn business, losing $40...

Ohio "Investment Advisor" Is One Bad "Apple"

Posted on September 08, 2009
One of Patrick Hindert's neighbors to the North is going "up the river". William R. Appleton, II, the "bad apple" former insurance agent from Maineville, Ohio pulled a "mini Madoff" on unsuspecting victims, posing as an investment advisor and convincing...

"Prepare For a Future... If You're Not Careful Everything Can Disappear"

Posted on September 08, 2009
Former Orlando Magic star David Vaughn 36, appears on NBA Fanhouse in a story that describes a journey that stretches at its peak from accommodations at the Ritz Carlton to the 2008 nadir of "accommodations" in a friend's dusty storage...

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Wearing Two Hats: Your Lawyer Is Your Structured Settlement Consultant

Posted on September 08, 2009
A number of practicing trial lawyers have entered the structured settlement business. Some are brazen enough to advertise such on their legal web sites. Should such lawyers be mindful of the legal and insurance ethical tightrope that is teetered on...

Structured Settlements 4Real Breaks Avvo Top 100 of Legal Subject Matter Blogs

Posted on September 07, 2009
Avvo.com ranks legal subject matter blogs using Alexa's trailing one month traffic statistic (as an aside we use the 3 month Alexa traffic stat to rank structured settlement websites). The structured settlement blog is currently ranked 78th out of 400...

Pressman Settlements "Investment Management"?

Posted on September 06, 2009
The LinkedIn profile for Elizabeth Pressman (see link below) states that Pressman Settlements Corporation is in the "investment management industry" and that she is in "investment management" Download Elizabeth Pressman _ LinkedIn Inasmuch as there has been an advertisement for...

On Friday the news came that unemployment

Posted on September 06, 2009
On Friday the news came that unemployment hit a 26 year high. I graduated Syracuse University that year, the economy ravaged by spiraling inflation and despite the odds and malcontent of the time my colleagues and I made it, as...

Structured Settlement Blog Becomes Available on Amazon Kindle

Posted on September 06, 2009
4structures.com, LLC announced today that Structured Settlements 4Real: What's Real in The Structured Settlements, Settlement Planning and Litigation Recovery Management Space will be available for download on the Amazon Kindle. The ability to download the structured settlement blog by Kindle...

Is JG Wentworth a Consumer's Friend?

Posted on September 06, 2009
"J.G. Wentworth was founded on a single, yet powerful idea: deferred payment streams can be purchased at a discount to produce superior returns". J.G. Wentworth corporate brochure 2007 .pdf page 3 "Produce superior returns" for whom?

Florida Bd. of Bar Examiners Adopts Formal Policy of Accessing Applicants' Facebook and Other Social Networking Sites

Posted on September 06, 2009
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners voted to adopt a formal policy review applicants' social networking sites on a case-by-case basis, according to this recent report in Florida Bar News. This author has written several pieces providing subtle admonishment to...

Do We Need More Symmetry, OR Should Insurance Law Simply Make Insurance Rebates, Bribes and Kickbacks Legal?

Posted on September 05, 2009
It goes without saying that paying bribes, kick backs and rebates in the process of soliciting insurance is illegal! Ostensibly such rebate restrictions are to protect consumers from being tempted to business with those whose best quality is the rebate...

Structured Settlement Industry "Designer Labels"

Posted on September 04, 2009
The term designer label refers to clothing and other personal accessory items sold under an often prestigious marquee. The structured settlement industry has plenty of "designer labels"! Modern Day Settlement Industry "Epithets" Plaintiff broker Defense Broker Examples: "You're a plaintiff...

Bab-oon Line Drive "Carons" Off "Hindert's Corner"

Posted on September 04, 2009
Is Patrick Hindert doing enough to "promote" NYU law student Jeremy Babener? Points for consideration: Hindert has not posted anything else but Babener in close to 3 months Hindert has not posted anything in 5 weeks Paul L. Caron's Tax...

Failure to Register in Florida Cost Pressman "One Large" Plus ...and Counting?

Posted on September 03, 2009
The case of Elizabeth B. Pressman and Pressman Settlements Corporation should be a lesson for any settlement consultant, not to mention ANY insurance professional. Know the laws of the state in which you are conducting business, BEFORE you start doing...

Lock In Form Asks For Settlement Broker's CLIENT'S Contact Name and Address

Posted on September 02, 2009
The lock-in form generated by Quote in The Box software for one of the structured annuity issuers is asking for a contact name and address for the Purchaser/Assignor. Pardon my fleeting skepticism, BUT the fact is that some life insurance...

Structured Settlement Attorney Hogwash

Posted on September 01, 2009
What is a "structured settlement attorney"? The term "structured settlement attorney" is one of the key search terms driving traffic to one of the settlement industry's web sites. So I did a Google search and sure enough a bunch of...

North Carolina Lawyers Weekly Reports Of "Extra Layer of Security" For Structured Settlement Payees

Posted on August 30, 2009
The North Carolina Lawyers Weekly reported on August 17, 2009 that on August 7, 2009 North Carolina governor Bev Perdue signed legislation that will add an extra layer of security to those receiving payments from structured settlement annuities. The legal...

The Roth "Why Are They?" ...Rated Age Abuse of Insurers -2

Posted on August 30, 2009
On June 4, 2009 I discussed the number of rated age requests going to structured annuity underwriting departments without legitimate intent for business to follow (on the rated age lives) is a blood gorged clot, clogging the structured settlement service...

How Sticky Are Structured Settlement Websites?

Posted on August 30, 2009
How well do the structured settlement industry's web offerings hold the attention of their audience? To augment its monthly survey of the traffic ranking of industry websites, Structured Settlements 4Real now looks into the "stickiness" of settlement industry websites...

Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator Is Useful Tool for Bank Depositors in View Of Accelerating Bank Failures

Posted on August 30, 2009
With 3 more banks failing over the weekend bringing the 2009 total to 84, it may be a good idea for depositors to bookmark the Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator ("EDIE") According to the information posted on the FDIC website, EDIE...

Cash For Clunkers Credit IS NOT TAXABLE

Posted on August 29, 2009
There have been rumors that the Cash for Clunkers Credit is taxable. The rumors are false. The operative word is "credit". The FAQ for the Cash for Clunkers program states that "The CARS Act expressly provides that the credit is...

IRS Revises Structured Settlement Factoring Audit Technique Guide

Posted on August 29, 2009
The IRS issued its latest revision to the Structured Settlement Factoring Audit Technique Guide in August 2009. The guide contains loads of useful information for someone who wants to understand the basis for IRC 5891, a section of the Internal...

1,000 Banks to Fail in Next 2 Years, FDIC Fund Down 20% in Q2 2009

Posted on August 28, 2009
On a day when AIG stock jumped 30% this sobering news came out of the banking sector: "With bank failures rising, the FDIC fund fell 20 percent to $10.4 billion in the second quarter as U.S. banks lost $3.7 billion"....

Why The Gaps in Timeline on Resume?

Posted on August 28, 2009
Why does Rhonda Bentzen leave a gap in her LinkedIn profile omitting the fact that she was affiliated with Structured Financial Associates, Inc. between Canada and Strategic Capital? Was the fact that she was affiliated "under seal" too? Why doesn't....

Buffalo Structured Settlement Broker in New York State Insurance Disciplinary Action

Posted on August 28, 2009
The New York State Insurance Department reported in a July 31, 2009 press release (p6/13) that it has taken disciplinary action against structured settlement consulting firm, Pressman Settlements Corporation and Elizabeth B. Pressman of 218 Wellingwood Drive Amherst, NY...

Plaxo... It Just Goes From Bad To Worse!

Posted on August 28, 2009
Are you a user of Plaxo? The other day I exposed how befriending your competitors permits them a window into your business contacts. I've just discovered that Plaxo is now publishing a public profile which basically shows ANYONE on the...

Structured Settlement Blog Experiences Dramatic Traffic Increase

Posted on August 28, 2009
Now with over 2,025 posts, the Structured Settlements 4Real blog is experiencing a significant increase in quality traffic. Over the past 3 months the average time spent by readers on this blog is 14.5 minutes, with a 1 month average...

AIG Stock Rises Over 30% in Morning Session, Touches $50 per Share

Posted on August 27, 2009
The common stock of American International Group, Inc. (AIG) continues its dramatic rise from a March 9, 2009 low of $6.60 to touch $50 in the morning session. According to Reuters there is new optimism from the company's CEO Robert...

Life insurance policy "contestable period"

Posted on August 27, 2009
Someone has made a comment on another industry blog concerning life insurance that I though would best be addressed in this forum. The writer appears confused over the significance of the contestable period on a life insurance policy. Here's what...

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