Life Settlement - Investors News

Institutional Investor Journals and the Life Insurance Settlement Association Publish New Research and Investment Strategies in a Special Section on Life Settlements in The Journal of Structured Finance

Life settlement-backed securities have seen tremendous growth in the past 12 months. The life settlement market expanded in 2006 to approximately $12 billion. While this number is still a fraction of what some predict will be the size in 10 years, it still represents a significant increase over the prior year. The market for life settlements grows as financial institutions become involved in unprecedented ways via securitization of life insurance policies or other new synthetic structures.
For the second year, Institutional Investor Journals and the Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA) have published a special section on life settlements in the Summer 2007 issue of The Journal of Structured Finance.

The Life Insurance Settlement Association announced its strong support today for the recently introduced bill in the District of Columbia City Council to regulate life settlements in that jurisdiction. This legislation, introduced at the request of the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking, comprehensively protects life insurance policyowners by imposing tough licensing requirements on settlement providers and brokers and thorough oversight of interactions with consumers, including an important new set of disclosures and affirmations designed to buttress insurable interest requirements and prevent STOLI (stranger originated life insurance).

A Denver District Court judge has issued a restraining order against Life Partners Inc. and Life Partners Holdings Inc., Colorado Securities Commissioner Fred Joseph said Wednesday.

Habersham Funding, LLC, a Georgia-based firm that does business nationally, has been licensed as a viatical settlement provider in California. Habersham, which was founded in 2001 by settlement industry pioneer M. Bryan Freeman, provides the funds for viatical and life settlements, which enable seniors who no longer want or need their life insurance to receive an advance cash payment for their policy, or those with a terminal illness to live with dignity in their last days.

Berlin Atlantic Capital (BAC), the leading German investment house for Structured Life Products, has strengthened the management team of its US subsidiary, BAC Structured Life Group, with the addition of several experienced industry professionals.

Life Partners Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq GM:LPHI), announced today that it will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share to shareholders of record as of May 31, 2007 to be paid on or about June 15, 2007.

Life Partners Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ GM:LPHI), parent company of Life Partners, Inc., today announced it expects to report an increase of 215% in net income for its 2007 fiscal year ended February 28, 2007. The Company expects to report net income of approximately $3.6 million or $0.38 per share compared to $1.14 million or $0.12 per share reported for its 2006 fiscal year. Life Partners also expects to report a 49% increase in revenues for the 2007 fiscal year while total business volume, as measured in policy face values transacted, increased by 73% over last year to $151 million.

Peachtree Life Settlements has obtained licensing in two important states for the Life Settlement business - Louisiana and Mississippi. The regional expansion into additional U.S. states where Peachtree Life Settlements can purchase life insurance policies will be a significant enhancement to its already successful Life Settlement business.

Life Policy Dynamics, LLC, (“LPD”) announced today, the completion of its 2006 aggregated market analysis of the life settlement industry. The market analysis examines 168 life insurance policies transacted in the secondary life insurance market during 2006. Increases and decreases of winning bid amounts over the past four quarters are explored, as well as percentage above Cash Surrender Value accepted, and comparisons of life expectancy reports.

Life Policy Dynamics, LLC, (“LPD”) announced today the completion of its 4th quarter market analysis of the life settlement industry. The market analysis provides life settlement funders and premium finance lenders an independent summary of economic values for life policies recently traded in the secondary market. The analysis is based upon a sample of actual transactions completed during the fourth quarter of 2006.