Life Settlement - Ratings News

Life Partners Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq GS: LPHI), parent company of Life Partners, Inc., announced today that it has paid the $0.25 per share quarterly dividend to shareholders of record as of November 6, 2009 as previously announced.

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.

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.

Liberty Mutual Group Inc., the policyholder-owned insurer that purchased Safeco Corp.last year, said first-quarter profit plunged 92 percent on losses tied to private equity investments. Net income fell to $28 million from $360 million in the year-earlier period, the Boston-based company said today in a
statement. The company had a private equity loss of $373 million in the first quarter, compared with a gain of $60 million a year earlier.

Genworth Financial Inc. won’t be able to participate in the Department of the Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief
Program. The Richmond, Va.-based insurer, like a handful of other carriers, applied to become a savings and
loan holding company last fall in order to be eligible to take part in the Capital Purchase Program, which is part
of TARP.

Shares of U.S. life insurance companies rose broadly on today, after a report that the U.S. Treasury Department
plans to extend the Troubled Asset Relief Program to some life insurers.

The announcement is expected within the next several days’ according to the Wall Street Journal

Advanced Underwriting Solutions (AUS) announced today that it has been named the preferred vendor of life expectancy underwriting for Asset Servicing Group.

“We strive to build long-term relationships with clients that share our belief in providing exceptional service, a proven track record of experience, and a focus on the customer that is not based on a “one size fits all” mentality. Asset Servicing Group shares these business imperatives and we are thrilled to have them aboard.” commented Traci Davis, President of AUS.

Old Mutual Plc., one of London’s largest insurers dropped as much as 9.4% in UK trading today after announcing a charge of $502 million to its Bermuda based unit stemming from failed hedges. The company said that unless market conditions change they may see an additional charge of $30 million.

Life Partners Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ GM:LPHI) announced today that its previously announced 5-for-4 stock split will be paid on September 27, 2007 to shareholders of record as of September 14, 2007.

Ever Diversifying Its Bets, Wall Street Is Investing in Life-Insurance Policies

Your life insurance is meant as a hedge against personal tragedy. Wall Street increasingly wants to invest in it like a security.