Life Settlement News

PHL Variable Insurance Company (“PHL”) and Phoenix Life Insurance Company (“Phoenix”) have been sued in lawsuits alleging, among other things, that the insurance companies targeted elderly individuals to purchase multi-million dollar life insurance policies with the false representation that the life insurance policies may be freely transferred or assigned. According to California attorney Gerald Kroll, this may be the largest life insurance litigation of its type.

Limited seating is still available for Fasano Associates’ 6th Annual Life Settlement Conference - to be held on Monday, October 26, 2009 at Fasano’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Fitch Ratings does not expect that the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) efforts to address issues in its Risk Based Capital (RBC) formula related to downgraded residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) will ultimately have a material impact on Fitch’s analysis or the ratings of U.S. life insurance companies. While Fitch reviews the NAIC RBC ratio as part of its ratings analysis, Fitch believes its review of insurer capital strength will not be materially impacted by the adjustments expected by the NAIC because Fitch takes a multi-faceted approach to capital analysis as compared to that used by regulators.

The life settlement market is now ten years old and the news is out! In recent months, the secondary market for life insurance has been the topic of articles and programs such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and ABC Nightly News among others. With this heightened awareness, consumers are reevaluating their financial choices and investors are taking a closer look at an increasingly attractive asset class.

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services says that it sees inherent risks in securitizing life settlements and that it won’t be rating this type of investment any time soon.

On Columbus Day, 2009, California seniors were presented with the fine gift of a welcome new law regulating life settlements, Senate Bill 98. The Governor’s signature on this important legislation authored by Senate Insurance Committee Chair Ron S. Calderon (D - District 30) completes extensive work by both chambers of the legislature. The bill, which takes effect on July 1, 2010, regulates the life settlement industry in California, which has seen marked growth in the past decade. A Life Settlement is the sale of an existing life insurance policy to a third party for more than its cash surrender value but less than its net death benefit.

Value Life Corp (VLC) announced today that John M. Griswold has joined the company and will serve as Director of Business Development. Prior to joining VLC John worked as Managing Director of Life Policy Dynamics in Washington, DC.

Cremated ashes scattered in Malaysia’s dense jungle may hold the secret of where more than £100m taken from savers in bust investment company Keydata ended up.

Conning 2008 estimate: $11.7 billion of life insurance face values settled

The life settlements market was hit hard by the economic crisis and other factors in 2008, according to a new study by Conning Research and Consulting.

Innovative New Platform Allows Islamic Investors to Diversify Holdings Using an Uncorrelated Asset Class