Beyond Structured Settlements

Aurora S.A. v. Poizner

In a legal dispute (Aurora S.A. v. Poizner) which it characterized as "another aspect of the dizzyingly complex and heavily litigated failure of the Executive Life Insurance Company", a California Court of Appeals on August 8, 2011 upheld a trial court decision that California's Insurance Commissioner correctly declined to approve the proposed sale of Aurora National Life Assurance Company (Aurora) by Aurora S.A. to Reassure America Life Insurance Company (REALIC), a Swiss Reinsurance subsidiary.

Background

• After Executive Life Insurance Company of California (ELIC) failed in 1991, then California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi approved the transfer of ELIC's insurance policies, including approximately 5500 structured settlement annuities, to Aurora, a newly formed company, and agreed to allow Aurora to operate as a life insurance company in California. Aurora was a subsidiary of New California Life Holdings (NCLH) which was controlled by an investment group called Altus S.A./MAAF.
• In 1992, with the approval of Commissioner Garamendi, a joint venture called Artemis S.A. acquired a controlling interest in NCLH. As summarized by the California Court of Appeals: "Artemis S.A. is the parent of Aurora S.A. Aurora S.A. owns a controlling interest in NCLH. NCLH owns 100 percent of Aurora."
• Subsequent to its NCLH purchase, Artemis learned of a conspiracy by Altus/MAAF Group to evade the prohibition under California on foreign entities controlling California insurers. Rather than disclose this conspiracy to the California Insurance Commissioner, Artemis submitted multiple filings that contained false or misleading information about Artemis' own interest in Aurora as well as Altus's secret control of Aurora through its agreement with the MAAF Group.
• In 1999, the California Insurance Commissioner learned from a whistleblower about the Altus S.A./MAAF Group conspiracy and filed lawsuits (conspiracy lawsuits) against multiple defendants including French bank Credit Lyonnais (which allegedly was a secret, indirect buyer of ELIC and controlled Aurora through secret agreements) alleging violations of the Federal Bank Holding Company Act, the California Insurance Code and other California statutes.
• In 2000, Aurora S.A. and one of its investment partners agreed to sell their interests in NCLH to Reassure America Life Insurance Company (REALIC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Swiss Reinsurance Company for $227,805,874 subject to the approval of the California Insurance Commissioner.
• In 2005, some of the defendants in the conspiracy lawsuits, including Credit Lyonnais, settled for $730,500,000, most of which was distributed to former ELIC policyholders and payees who had earlier "opted out" of the Aurora rehabilitation plan and received the liquidation value of their existing ELIC contracts and to Aurora to supplement payments for policyholders and payees who had "opted in" (i.e. accepted the Aurora rehabilitation plan).
• The conspiracy lawsuits against the two remaining defendants, Artemis S.A. and Francois Pinault (a key participant in the alleged conspiracy), was conducted in Federal Court in 2005. The jurors found Artemis liable for engaging in a conspiracy and awarded $0 in compensatory damages and $700 million in punitive damages. The trial court awarded an additional $241 million in equitable restitution.
• Artemis appealed, moved to stay execution of judgment while the appeal was pending and offered to pledge as security $55 million from its anticipated sale of NCLH to REALIC. The trial court accepted the Artemis offer and agreed to stay execution of judgment. On August 25, 2008, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the damage awards against Artemis and remanded the case for a new trial on the issue of damages.
• On September 18, 2008, after the trial court vacated its earlier order requiring Artemis to pledge $55 million, REALIC filed an application requesting California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to approve REALIC's purchase of Aurora from Aurora S.A.
• On September 23, 2009, following several earlier, acrimonious communications with representatives of REALIC, a representative of the California Insurance Commissioner sent an email stating the Department of Insurance "intends to deny the pending Form A application unless 100% of the Artemis sale proceeds are deposited in an escrow account satisfactory to the Commissioner. It is our understanding that Artemis refuses to agree to place 100% of its sale proceeds into escrow. Therefore, we are in the process of preparing a denial letter."
• On October 14, 2009, Aurora S.A. filed a lawsuit seeking to compel the California Insurance Commissioner to issue a decision on REALIC's application to purchase Aurora. After the Commissioner formally disapproved REALIC's request to purchase Aurora on November 23, 2009, Aurora S.A. amended its lawsuit alleging the Commissioner's disapproval constituted abuse of discretion.
• On July 22, 2010, the trial court ruled the Commissioner did not abuse his discretion and denied Aurora S.A.'s petition. Aurora S.A. appealed.

For S2KM's complete reporting and analysis of the Executive Life Insurance Companies, including an Executive  Life timeline, see the structured settlement wiki.

Executive Life Timeline

The following Executive Life timeline also appears on the structured settlement wiki where it will be edited and updated.

1935 - Executive Life Insurance Company of New York (ELNY) is incorporated and subsequently (in 1937) licensed as a stock life insurer company in the state of New York.

1961 - Executive Life Insurance Company of California (ELIC) is founded as a subsidiary of First Executive Corporation (FEC). FEC subsequently: 1) becomes a public company and 2) borrows $14.6 million from what is now Citibank to purchase ELNY.

1974 - Fred Carr joins FEC which then has $77 million of assets (355th among U.S. life insurers) of which $22 million represents policy loans. FEC's investment portfolio is $20 million under water. FEC is in default on its $14.6 million Citibank loan. Both the IRS and the New York Insurance Department are investigating ELNY. Touche Ross, FEC's auditors, refuses to express an opinion on its financial statements.

1986 - FEC's zenith. Shareholders' equity is more than $1.5 billion with no debt and total assets of $16.4 billion. The Ivan Boesky scandal erupts and junk bond prices begin to fall.

1987 - The New York Insurance Department disallows a number of reserve credits for ELNY resulting from questionable reinsurance treaties. ELNY admits to violating eight sections of the New York insurance code and agrees to pay a $250,000 fine. ELIC provides ELNY with a $151 million capital infusion requiring FEC to raise additional capital. Joseph Belth, an Indiana University professor and publisher of "Insurance Forum", begins writing negative reports about Executive Life. The mainstream financial press eventually echoes Belth's negative analysis questioning FEC's concentration of junk bonds. FEC and Executive Life complete over $40 billion in junk bond trades with Michael Milken and Drexel Burnam Lambert between 1982 and 1987. Executive Life's competitors promote these negative press reports to convince Executive Life policyholders to surrender their SPDA contracts.

1988 - Carr negotiates a $275 million loan for FEC from a consortium of Japanese banks.

1989 - FEC announces the sale of ELNY. With the Japanese bank loan nearing default, FEC completes a complex rights offering which raises $284 million.

1990 - The ELNY sale falls apart. FEC investors initiate a lawsuit alleging fraud. ELIC and ELNY announce a write down that eventually totals $776 million. A.M. Best's lowers ELIC's and ELNY's ratings from A+ to A. FEC becomes the most shorted stock in the United States during 1990. From July 1989 to the end of 1990, FEC's stock falls from $16 per share to 16 cents per share as its net worth declines to a negative $3 billion.

1991 - FEC loses $1 billion of its investment portfolio. Michael Milken is jailed for securities fraud. Newly elected California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi obtains a court order seizing control of ELIC. New York's Insurance Commissioner Salvatore Curiale follows with ELNY on April 16. Both companies enter rehabilitation a status which ELNY retains to the present day. FEC files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The combined companies strand more than 500,000 policyholders, annuitants, investors, employees and agents. The annuitants include 13,500 structured settlement recipients. Commissioner Garamendi enters into a two-part sales agreement with New California Life Holdings, Inc. (New California) and Altus Finance (Altus), an affiliate of the French Bank Credit Lyonnais, in connection with the ELIC rehabilitation.

1992 - Gary Schulte publishes his book titled "The Fall of First Executive".

1993 - The 1991 ELIC sales agreement and the ELIC rehabilitation plan are modified and then approved by the Los Angeles Superior Court. Under this agreement, Altus pays $3.25 billion and acquires ELIC's $6.4 billion junk bond portfolio. The Altus purchase price includes $300 million of capital for a newly formed company, Aurora National Life Assurance Company, Inc. (Aurora) which assumes ELIC's remaining assets and liabilities including its structured settlement obligations.

1994 - ELIC's former policyholders and structured settlement recipients are given the opportunity to either opt out of the rehabilitation plan and receive the liquidation value of their existing ELIC contracts or opt in to a new restructured contract with Aurora.

1998 - An anonymous whistle-blower alleges that Crédit Lyonnais was the real buyer of ELIC and controls it through secret agreements. Because banks were prohibited from owning U.S. insurance companies in 1993, the California Insurance Department sues Credit Lyonnais and other parties alleging violations of the federal Bank Holding Company Act, the California Insurance Code and other California statutes.

2003 - Credit Lyonnais and some of the other defendants settle with the California Insurance Department for $730.5 million of which $211 million will be distributed to opt out policyholders and payees and $403 million to Aurora to supplement payments for opt in policyholders and payees.

2005 - The California Insurance Department case against the remaining defendants results in a substantial verdict including $700 million of punitive damages.

2007 - New York Governor Eliot Spitzer announces an "agreement in principle" for ELNY designed to continue paying all ELNY annuitants 100% of their benefits. The plan is intended to protect approximately 11,000 ELNY annuity recipients including approximately 8000 structured settlement recipients. The announced plan requires and anticipates future approval by the New York Nassau County State Supreme Court. The announced plan, however, whereby various insurers and guarantee associations apparently agreed to pay $650 to $750 million to fund approximately $2 billion of future ELNY payments, never materializes.

2008 - The U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reviews the 2005 trial court verdict in the California Insurance Department ELIC case and remands the case for a new trial on the issue of damages. A new trial court date has not yet been set.

2009 - Audited financial statements indicate ELNY has total admitted assets of $984,021,594 compared with total liabilities of $2,516,254,541 as of December 31, 2009.

2010 - A New York State Supreme Court Judge orders the Superintendent of the New York State Insurance Department to present the Court with a proposed order and plan of liquidation for ELNY on or before July 1, 2011 after the Superintendent confers with the Life Insurance Company Guaranty Corporation of New York and other interested parties. The plan is supposed to establish a briefing schedule and provide for notice to all ELNY creditors. Audited financial statements (as of December 31. 2010) show ELNY has assets of $905,945,200 compared with liabilities of $2,474,317,342 resulting in a negative surplus of $1,568,372,142. The California Insurance Commissioners distributes funds received from the 2003 Credit Lyonnais settlement to approximately 27,300 former ELIC policyholders including former ELIC structured settlement recipients (opt outs) who elected to terminate their policies.

2011 - The Superintendent of the New York Insurance Department files a motion to postpone the deadline for filing a proposed order and plan of liquidation for ELNY with the New York State Supreme Court of Nassau County from July 1, 2011 to August 10, 2011 "in order to present a comprehensive and consensual proposed Plan of Liquidation that maximizes the potential benefits for ELNY's structured settlement and other annuitants."

Executive Life of California

As structured settlement stakeholders await the anticipated liquidation of Executive Life Insurance Company of New York (ELNY), some may be asking what happened to ELNY's sister company Executive Life Insurance Company of California (ELIC) and ELIC's structured settlement recipients.

Gary Schulte describes the meteoric rise and fall of ELNY, ELIC and their parent holding company, First Executive Corporation (FEC), in his 1992 book "The Fall of First Executive" previously reviewed by S2KM. Schulte's story ends in 1991 when ELNY and ELIC entered rehabilitation and FEC declared bankruptcy. At that time, the combined companies owed junk bonds (among other investment assets) with a face value of $6.4 billion and had issued approximately 13,500 structured settlement annuities: 8000 by ELNY and 5500 by ELIC.

One of the preliminary issues in ELIC's receivership was whether the supervising Los Angeles Superior Court (Superior Court) could properly distinguish among groups of ELIC policyholders. Initially, structured settlement recipients seemed assured of receiving 100 percent of their scheduled payments compared with holders of guaranteed investment contracts (GICs) who were to receive only a fraction of their investments. Subsequently, however, an appellate court required equal treatment for GIC investors thereby reducing ELIC funds available to pay structured settlements.

On April 22, 1991, the Superior Court entered an order permitting California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, as Rehabilitator, (Garamendi) to continue payment of all of ELIC's death claims, certain medical claims and 70 percent of it structured settlement obligations. The Superior Court permitted “hardship” claimants to petition for a continuation of full scheduled structured settlement payments. Approximately 600 structured settlement recipients applied for and received hardship status and continued to receive all their scheduled funds during the rehabilitation proceeding.

Of those structured settlement recipients who experienced an initial 30 percent shortfall, approximately 800 had originally agreed to a qualified assignment with FEC as obligor. For those structured settlement recipients who had not agreed to a qualified assignment, the original obligor (defendant or liability insurer) remained contractually liable. Some of these original  obligors made supplemental (30 percent) monthly payments while others waited until an overall shortfall was determined.

In August 1991, Commissioner Garamendi entered into a two-part sales agreement with New California Life Holdings, Inc. (New California) and Altus Finance (Altus), an affiliate of the French Bank Credit Lyonnais, in connection with the ELIC rehabilitation. This sales agreement and the ELIC rehabilitation plan were subsequently modified and then approved by the Superior Court on August 13, 1993. Under this agreement, Altus paid $3.25 billion and acquired ELIC's $6.4 billion junk bond portfolio. The Altus purchase price included $300 million of capital for a newly formed company, Aurora National Life Assurance Company, Inc. (Aurora) which assumed ELIC's remaining assets and liabilities including its structured settlement obligations.

The ELIC sales agreement was subsequently subject to considerable criticism. At least in retrospect, the agreement substantially undervalued ELIC junk bond portfolio. Although the junk bond market was depressed and thinly traded in 1991, it was among the best performing investment markets in 1992 and 1993. Even in 1991, a substantial percentage of the junk bonds owned by FEC and its two Executive Life subsidiaries were current on interest payments and ultimately fulfilled their investment obligations.

Effective February 15, 1994, ELIC's former policyholders and structured settlement recipients were given the opportunity to either opt out of the rehabilitation plan and receive the liquidation value of their existing ELIC contracts or opt in to a new restructured contract with Aurora. For structured settlement annuities, the agreement of both the policyholder and annuitant was required before the policy could be cashed in. Both persons electing to opt out and persons electing to opt in were entitled to participate in future distributions from the remaining assets of the ELIC estate.

Those persons choosing to opt out of the Aurora plan received an initial cash payment of 56 percent of the value of their ELIC annuity plus promised subsequent payments estimated to provide an additional 28 percent depending on future events. The alternative was a revised annuity from Aurora the terms of which varied based upon what the ELIC annuity had promised.

The National Organization of Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Associations (NOLHGA) became actively involved in the ELIC insolvency because Aurora's assets could not meet all of ELIC's obligations. For each structured settlement, a state life insurance guaranty association contributed up to $100,000 to  supplement Aurora's payment offers. Based upon this approach, approximately 4000 of ELIC's 5500 structured settlement payees were restored to 100 percent of their ELIC claim values. Of the remaining 1500 ELIC structured settlement recipients, most of those who did not agree to a qualified assignment have received supplemental payments from the original obligor (defendant or liability insurer).

In July 1998, an anonymous whistle-blower alleged that Crédit Lyonnais was the real buyer of ELIC and controlled it through secret agreements. In 1991, banks were prohibited from owning U.S. insurance companies. The California Insurance Department sued Credit Lyonnais and other parties alleging violations of the federal Bank Holding Company Act, the California Insurance Code and other California statutes.

Some of the defendants settled in 2005 for $730.5 million of which $211 million was distributed to opt out policyholders and payees and $403 to Aurora to supplement payments for opt in policyholders and payees. The case against the remaining defendants resulted in a substantial verdict (including punitive damages) in 2005 which the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reviewed in 2008 and remanded for a new trial on the issue of damages. A new trial court date has not yet been set.

For S2KM reporting about Executive Life of New York, see S2KM's structured settlement wiki.