Beyond Structured Settlements

NASP 2015 Annual Conference

Patricia LaBorde, President of the National Association of Settlement Purchasers (NASP), opened her association's 2015 Annual Conference last week in Las Vegas with a provocative description of its prior 12 months: "a year of unimaginable successes and challenges".

Founded in 2004, NASP identifies itself as "a leader in setting standards and implementing best practices for the structured settlement purchasing industry. Our association safeguards the rights of settlement recipients to readily access their funds through an efficient, fair and transparent judicial process."

NASP Presidential Panel

Subsequent conference presentations detailed NASP's successes and challenges including an historic President's Panel, moderated by Robin Shapiro, and featuring LaBorde and Michael Goodman, the first sitting President of the National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA) to attend a NASP conference.

Goodman has identified "growth opportunities for the structured settlement industry" as his number one goal as NSSTA President. He also characterized his remarks and opinions as personal and not representative of official NSSTA policy or positions.

Goodman highlighted the need for "responsible factoring" and mentioned the consumer protections that have been put in place in Wisconsin, Maryland and Illinois. Based upon his own professional experience, Goodman gave multiple examples of what he considered appropriate and inappropriate transfer activities.

Among Goodman's other noteworthy comments:

• "Factoring is not a zero sum game. What is bad for the secondary market is not necessarily good for the primary market."
• "Both NSSTA and NASP need to improve/correct the branding of "structured settlements". Confusing the primary and secondary markets is not beneficial for either association."
• "I am proud we have been able to create more consumer protections for injured annuitants. I am hopeful that by the end of this year, we will have improved the Structured Settlement Protections Acts (SSPAs) in five states.”

Both LaBorde and Goodman acknowledged business practices within their own markets that have created problems for the structured settlement brand. Some of the worst of the secondary market business practices were publicized nationally in an August 25, 2015 Washington Post front page article (featuring a non-NASP company) which more than one industry observer called "a perfect storm" for the factoring industry.

Legislative Collaboration

Even before the Washington Post article, however, and as a direct result of the 2013 Brenston case, which temporarily shut down the secondary market in Illinois, NASP and NSSTA initiated a proactive and collaborative legislative strategy to add five consumer protection amendments to targeted state structured settlement protection statutes:

• No forum shopping.
• Payee required to attend hearing.
• Stricter application of approval requirements.
• Advanced notice of transfer.
• Required disclosure of prior transfers.

The first success of NSSTA and NASP's legislative collaboration resulted in amendments to the Illinois statute. The Brentson case propelled the two organizations to negotiate and work a compromise that improved the Illinois SSPA. From the perspective of LaBorde and NASP, the result in Illinois represented "the biggest victory since the Model Act".

To memorialize the success in Illinois, NASP honored Illinois State Representative Michael Zalewski as recipient of its 2015 Alexander Hamilton Award. Representative Zaleweski, who sponsored the new Illinois structured settlement legislation, praised its "clarity and protection" compared with the "ambiguity" of the prior law.

NASP has bestowed its Alexander Hamilton Award eight times "to distinguished individuals who have supported and defended the right to free alienability of property rights." NASP considers this right to be its own cornerstone and the foundation of the structured settlement factoring business.

Further highlighting the success of NSSTA and NASP's legislative collaboration, LaBorde and Goodman jointly announced that Governor Scott Walker had signed, just prior to their panel discussion, Wisconsin's first Structured Settlement Protection Act - thereby becoming the 49th state (all except New Hampshire) to have enacted such protective legislation.

During his Legislative and Regulatory Update, NASP lobbyist Jack Kelly, who serves as point person for the NSSTA / NASP collaborative state legislative strategy, provided additional details concerning both the political aftermath of the Washington Post article and the collaborative state legislative strategy.

Without dismissing the negative public relations impact of the Post article, Kelly does not see any immediate Congressional threat despite letters making headlines. "NASP's primary federal concern is the tax bill," Kelly stated, "and it's not on the calendar."

As for state legislation, "good planning has made the difference", according to Kelly. He spoke about "mutual respect" for NSSTA and identified Florida, Maryland and Virginia among priority states for joint future lobbying to improve consumer protection.

Additional Conference Highlights

In his Litigation Update, NASP Executive Director Earl Nesbitt summarized recent court decisions addressing statutory "no-split" payment provisions, judicial "best interest" standards and various lawsuits involving Rapid Settlements.

Nesbitt allocated significant time to In re: Rains, a Texas case in which the appellate court determined the trial court: 1) could not force MetLife into a contract with the transfer company, directly or indirectly, by imposing a servicing arrangement on account of the Texas statutory "no-split" provision; and 2) abused its discretion in approving the transfer citing a "severe discount rate" among other factors.

The Rains case featured an extensive "best interest" analysis establishing a new judicial precedent in Texas. This analysis requires a judge to consider a "penumbra" of information including "future yet foreseeable liabilities; domestic, economic, physical, medical and educational needs of payee and dependents." Also at issue: how much and what type of evidence is required to place into the court record to justify a transfer.

Matt Bracy reprised his role as moderator of NASP's popular Judicial Panel - this year featuring Judges Daniel Buckley (California); Laura Inveen (Washington); and Jeremy Warren (Texas). The two hour program included questions to and from the judges addressing such transfer topics as:

• Interpreting the best interest standard;
• Common mistakes at transfer hearings by attorneys, factoring companies and sellers;
• How to best present a transfer;
• How judges consider objections to transfers;
• What documentation judges want to see at transfer hearings;
• How to best protect the seller's privacy;
• Information judges are not seeing presented that should be;
• Significance of the origin (type of personal injury) to the judge's analysis;
• Impact of prior transfers on assessments.

Two separate NASP presentations addressed unprecedented and changing perspectives of risk. Discussing Privacy Issues in Structured Settlement Transfers, Shawn Tuma spoke about risks due to cyber attacks. Citing the FBI, Tuma divided corporate America into two company types: those that have been hacked and those that will be - including many that have but don't realize it.

Health records, according to Tuma, are more valuable than financial records because they are rarely modified. Regardless of how you obtain health information, Tuma emphasized, you are obligated to protect it. These obligations include: stewardship, legal and public relations.

Tuma reported that both the SEC and the FTC have developed legal requirements that encompass prevention, detection, response, training, and third party access - and companies cannot insulate officers and directors from personal liability for related damages.

The lessons to be learned, according to Tuma: 1) document a record of compliance; 2) you will be breached; 3) Its not the breach, its your diligence, that matters most. Steven Fox supplemented Tuma's presentation with a discussion of ID Theft and Domicile Determination.

As secondary market transfers have expanded to include life contingent annuity components, mortality underwriting has become a critical skill set. Michael Fasano focused his presentation about Mortality Review / Process in Life Contingent Underwriting on unhedged life contingent secondary market structured settlement transactions.

Fasano emphasized that traditional medical underwriting practices utilized for life settlements or normal life insurance and/or annuities won't work for this class of individuals. Reasons include a high frequency of:

• Low income demographics. Most are unemployed.
• Rx and illicit drug issues.
• Incarceration and other behavior issues.
• Anti-selection and/or lying.

Fasano approximates that, as a class, mortality impairment of life contingent structured settlements results from: accident and behavioral (55%) vs. medical (45%). In addition to medical reports, Fasano utilizes targeted questionnaires to obtain underwriting information and makes adjustments for lack of candor and non-disclosure.

Completing NASP educational program: Jason Sutherland moderated a Servicing Panel featuring Melissa Bolling and John Enyart. Additional Breakout Sessions offered the following topics and speakers:

• Successfully Managing Difficult Payee Issues - Brian Dear; Duane West.
• Strategies for Securing Approval From Tough Judges - Samuel Cortes; Abagail Adams.
• Primer on Special Needs Trusts and Medicare Set-Asides - Patrick Hindert.
• Spousal Consent Issues in Transfers - Elyse Strickland; Shannon Harvey.

Congratulations to NASP, especially Conference Chairman Doyle Chisholm and Association Administrator Susan Barnes, for organizing such an informative and well-attended conference.

For additional, related S2KM reporting, see the structured settlement wiki plus these prior S2KM blog posts, see:

• Structured Settlements 2014 - Secondary Market
• NASP 2014 Annual Conference
• Michael Goodman Interview

NSSTA 2015 Annual Meeting

Continuing to advance a theme of "industry unity", which now appears to encompass some collaborative political lobbying as well as education, the National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA) hosted its 2015 Annual Meeting April 22-24 in Washington, D.C.

Incoming NSSTA President Michael Goodman highlighted these developments during his introductory address when he listed among other recent NSSTA successes: 1) a strong relationship with the American Association for Justice (AAJ); 2) improved dialogue with the Society of Settlement Planners (SSP); 3) guest educational participation involving SSP and National Association of Settlement Purchasers (NASP) representatives; as well as 4) successful cooperation with NASP to enact revised structured settlement protection legislation in Illinois.

The new Illinois legislation provides an antidote for problems created by the Brenston case. Among other changes to the prior Illinois statute, the new legislation also includes provisions to: 1) restrict forum shopping; 2) require the seller of payment rights to appear in person at the court hearing (unless the court determines that good cause exists to excuse the payee from appearing); and 3) require disclosure of prior transfers.

Representatives of both NSSTA and NASP have expressed their intent to cooperate in pursuing similar legislative reforms in other states including Florida, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Goodman also identified several goals for NSSTA during his term as President. These include: 1) modifying NSSTA's traditional "protect and preserve" message to inspire primary market growth; 2) moving beyond "interest rate selling"; 3) moving beyond a focus on factoring; 4) identifying and pursuing new markets for structured settlement annuities; 5) adding one or more new life company providers; 6) engaging new, younger structured settlement brokers; 7) providing a new and improved training initiative.

Goodman will be joined on the NSSTA Board by two newly-elected Directors: Jim Early and Geoff Kissel. They replace retiring Directors John Machir and Dan Goodmann. John McCulloch was re-elected to a new three year term of directorship. McCulloch was also honored as NSSTA's annual President's Award winner. Karen Meyers and Bill Wakelee were named recipients of NSSTA's annual Leadership Award.

NSSTA Executive Director Eric Vaughn updated members on the Structured Settlement Caucus which is co-chaired by Congressmen John Lewis and James Sensenbrenner and currently consists of 53 congressional members. The objectives of the Caucus include: 1) expanding the base of Congressional support for structured settlements; 2) educating new members of Congress about structured settlements; and 3) protecting and promoting structured settlements.

As an important auxiliary portion of its meeting, Vaughn and 125 NSSTA members "Took the Hill" to meet with Senators and Representatives. Their efforts received strong encouragement from Congressman Lewis who exhorted NSSTA members "to make some noise."

"Stand up! Speak up!" Lewis urged. "Structured settlements have always enjoyed strong bipartisan Congressional support. They are the right and necessary thing to do. They work by providing long term financial security for injury victims to live with dignity."

NSSTA and its Education Committee face a continuing challenge: how best to educate its members, who possess varying degrees of experience and who market to a diverse group of structured settlement producers and decision makers, to deliver high value services to their respective clients. NSSTA has addressed this challenge with multiple new initiatives:

• Structures 202 provides a comprehensive program of case management fundamentals and business development opportunities. Unlike Structures 101 (a prior NSSTA educational program for case managers), Structures 202 is also designed for structured settlement brokers who are new to the market and therefore includes an important, primarily plaintiff-oriented, business development component.
• Complementing and extending its Certified Structured Settlement Consultant (CSSC) Professional Certification Program, NSSTA has added a new Master's Certificate in Structured Settlement Consulting (MSSC). NSSTA recognized and honored the most recent graduates of both programs during its 2015 Annual Meeting.
• During its Fall 2014 Conference, NSSTA announced a new "NSSTA University" service whereby NSSTA will partner with any member to secure CE credits for member-sponsored educational seminars or insurance claims departments or law firms.
• In partnership with CLM Advisors, NSSTA's Marketing Committee has commissioned a three part survey project to provide its members with valuable marketing tools for discussions with the audiences surveyed. Part 1 (claims executives) and Part 2 (claims adjustors) have been completed. Part III will survey plaintiff attorneys.

In addition, from S2KM's perspective, NSSTA continues to upgrade its traditional educational conferences.

SPEAKERS AND TOPICS - NSSTA 2015 Annual Meeting

• Kevin Silo - Opening Remarks
• Congressman John Lewis - Keynote Speaker
• Michael Goodman - NSSTA Agenda and Objectives
• Sally Greenberg - Consumer & Legal Protections for Injury Victims
• Mike Montemurro and John Stanton - Internal Revenue Service Update
• Taylor Smith, Ronna Ruppelt, Robert Sampson - Delivering High Value Services to Claims Professionals
• Karen Meyers, Anne Marie VonBank, Cody Shively - Trigger Trusts
• Christi Fried, Paul Hansen, Phil Sanders - Trust Asset Allocation and Structured Settlements
• Stephen Harris, Timothy O'Driscoll and Peter Vodola - Judicial Education
• Susan Clark and Melissa Price - NSSTA Took the Hill
• Michael Miller, Earl Nesbitt, John McCulloch - Factoring Panel Discussions
• Dr. Quincy Krosby - Macro Economics and the Financial Markets
• Nancy Bond - Life Care Planning

For additional S2KM reporting about past NSSTA conferences, see the structured settlement wiki.

SSP 2015 Annual Conference - 1

The U.S. structured settlement industry consists of three national professional associations - the National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA), the Society of Settlement Planners (SSP) and the National Association of Settlement Purchasers (NASP) - whose political differences frequently obscure their shared existential interests and, until recently, have restricted their opportunities for mutually-beneficial collaborative education.

NSSTA's 2014 Fall Educational Conference highlighted the issues of "generational change and challenges" and served as a precursor for improved association relationships by featuring SSP President Neil Johnson and NASP President Patricia LaBorde as guest speakers.

The SSP 2015 Annual Conference, to be held March 29-31 in Las Vegas will substantially expand this new educational chapter of industry dialogue by hosting an unprecedented number of association leaders as speakers. Among the highlights will be a repeat engagement of NSSTA's 2014 "Presidents' Panel" featuring current NSSTA President Kevin Silo and SSP President Johnson. Titled "Collaboration for the Greater Good", and moderated by Patrick Hindert, this panel promises to "doubledown" on solutions for achieving industry unity.

Additional association leaders scheduled to speak at the SSP Conference:

• Eric Vaughn - NSSTA's Executive Director is expected to emphasize the shared interests of all structured settlement professionals including plaintiff and defense representatives as well primary and secondary market participants. These shared interests being the protection and preservation of IRC sections 104(a)(2) and 130 plus the future growth of the primary market.
• Earl Nesbitt - NASP's Executive Director will be joined by Rhonda Bentzen, SSP 2015 Conference Chairperson and secondary market expert, to follow-up SSP's groundbreaking 2014 secondary market panel which first opened educational dialogue between primary and secondary structured settlement professional associations.
• Jack Kelly - NASP's lobbyist, who also spoke at last year's SSP conference, will provide his perspective on political changes taking place in Washington D.C. and how they might impact structured settlements.
• Kevin Urbatsch - The National Director of the Academy of Special Needs Planners (ASNP) recently introduced and helped organize ASNP 12-part "Settlement Planning" webinar series. In Las Vegas, Urbatsch will address recent attacks by the Social Security Administration on litigation-generated special needs trusts.
• Wendie Howland - Editor of the American Association of Nurse Life Care Planning (AANLCP) Journal, Ms. Howland will discuss settlement planning from a life care planning perspective. She will highlight the increasing role of life care planners in allocating damages for Medicare set-asides (MSAs) and as a result of the Affordable Care Act. In addition, she will advise structured settlement consultants and settlement planners how to better utilize life care plans to improve their own work product.

Additional SSP speakers and topics:

• Joseph Dehner - A prominent international attorney and co-author of the legal textbook "Structured Settlements and Periodic Payments", Dehner will discuss "Off-Shore Funding Companies" and their increasing role in the structured settlement market.
• Joseph DiGangi, Shannon Fitzgerald and Phillip Kruse - this panel of experts, moderated by Patrick Hindert, will analyze the application of "fiduciary standards" to settlement planning and settlement planners. Their presentation will feature a case study, review SSP's Standards of Practice, discuss NAIC Model Regulations, consider the 2006 Saltzburg/Chemerinsky memos, and suggest best practices.
• Edward Stone - A legal representative for many Executive Life of New York short-fall victims who continues to seek restitution for his clients, Stone will offer his opinion as to whether some settlement planners remain at risk in the ongoing ELNY litigation.
• Joseph Tombs - A lawyer, certified financial planner and former SSP President who helped organize SSP's Registered Settlement Planner (RSP) certification program, Tombs will outline his recommended process for developing a settlement plan.
• Jack Meligan - Also a former SSP President as well as a recognized settlement planning expert, Meligan will provide an MSA update with his perspective on how MSAs fit into settlement planning.
• Jeremy Babener - A prodigious structured settlement author and industry tax expert who also serves as Chairman of SSP's Legal Committee, Babener will introduce SSP's new website and discuss new SSP Legal Committee initiatives.
• Bryn Poland - A leading Qualified Settlement Fund (QSF) expert, who has served as attorney, trustee and/or administrator for numerous QSFs, Ms Poland will explain how and why the multi-claimant QSF market is growing rapidly despite the single claimant pullback within the structured settlement market.

For S2KM's reporting about prior structured settlement and settlement planning professional conferences, see the structured settlement wiki.

NASP 2014 Annual Conference

The National Association of Settlement Purchasers (NASP) celebrated its 10th annual conference November 5-6, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas with record attendance, recognition of past accomplishments and a clear existential message from its president Patricia LaBorde: "NASP exists to insure there will be a secondary structured settlement market for at least the NEXT 10 years".

NASP's 2014 educational conference followed by one week an historic NSSTA conference, which featured, for the first time, the presidents of NASP (LaBorde) and SSP (Neil Johnson) as speakers. LaBorde acknowledged this development in her opening NASP remarks stating: "we want to hear NSSTA's criticism and for the first time, they appear to want to hear ours." She expressed surprise and concern, however, about how little NSSTA members appear to understand about the secondary market including several basic misconceptions.

To underscore both NASP's "survival" theme and the need for improved education about the secondary market, LaBorde added: "there are some forces working against us right now and we need to remain diligent so our customers (structured settlement recipients who sell payment rights to NASP member companies) continue to have access to liquidity."

NASP lobbyist Jack Kelly and Executive Director Earl Nesbitt addressed some of NASP's challenges in their presentations providing legislative and case law updates respectively.

Legislative Update

Kelly reviewed structured settlement protection statute activities in Florida, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Louisiana, and Mississippi and declared NASP's 2014 state legislative lobbying a success. Kelly highlighted Florida and Wisconsin as states where NASP and NSSTA could collaborate to improve existing legislation. At the federal level, Kelly addressed H.R. 3897 and the July 23, 2014 "Consumer Protection for People with Disabilities" Congressional symposium which included a panel discussion about "factoring structured settlements".

Echoing LaBorde's comments about NSSTA, Kelly expressed his concern about "fact vs fiction" as to what happens and what benefits transfers provide for structured settlement recipients who experience unexpected or unaddressed financial needs. Emphasizing "no secondary market transaction can occur without a primary market transaction", Kelly criticized any development or activity that causes Congress to relook at IRC 130 and 104(a)(2). Speaking the morning after the 2014 election, Kelly labeled the Republican victory a political "tsunami" and the odds on new tax legislation in 2015 as a "toss up".

Case Law Update

For the uninitiated, Nesbitt prefaced his secondary market case law summary with several applicable "lessons": if you don't pay a seller the agreed amount, you will have trouble; courts take the "best interest" standard seriously; sometimes the prudent action is to dismiss a proposed transfer and move on; if you don't get what you want, don't move to another court or arbitration; words in a contract matter and words in a court order matter more; although rare in Texas, sometimes it rains (it did in San Antonio) and sometimes RSL Funding (formerly Rapid Settlements) wins cases.

Washington Square v. RSL

Among several significant cases, Nesbitt gave top billing to Washington Square v. RSL Funding wherein transfer company Washington Square (aka Imperial) sued transfer company RSL Funding in Texas for tortious interference with a transfer agreement that had not yet been approved in a final court order. The Court of Appeals of Texas, Fourteenth District, held:

• RSL was “justified” in interfering with Imperial’s proposed transfer agreement prior to court approval because obtaining a better price was in the seller's "best interest".
• Transfer agreements that have not received court approval are not enforceable on public policy grounds and therefore cannot justify legal actions for tortious interference with existing contracts.

Acknowledging this case represents a "big win" for RSL, Nesbitt also predicted "chaos" for the secondary market as rival transfer companies increasingly search court records and seek to outbid other transfer companies who are awaiting court approvals. Subsequent NASP panels of transfer attorneys and judges, as well as sidebar discussions with angry representatives of companies outbid by competitors, confirmed Nesbitt prediction and suggested a strategic marketing shift is already occurring among transfer companies.

Brenston Case

In a separate presentation, Nesbitt reviewed the Peachtree Settlement Funding v. Brenston case and its case law "progeny". In the Brenston case, the Illinois Supreme Court in December 2013 denied Peachtree's petition for review of an Illinois Appellate Court decision which found multiple Peachtree-Brenston transfer orders, which Illinois Circuit Courts had approved in accordance with the Illinois transfer statute, to be void ab initio because:

• Peachtree did not file all settlement documents with the transfer court.
• Peachtree concealed "by omission" the existence of anti-assignment provisions which the Appellate Court found "material".
• The conduct of Peachtree and it's attorney amounted to an "affirmative falsehood and a fraud upon the trial court".

An Amicus curiae brief filed by NASP with the Illinois Supreme Court stated: "Without the certainty and finality of a court order, there is no viable secondary market.... Because every structured settlement contains boilerplate language that purports to limit or restrict assignability, every Illinois court approved transfer could be subject to challenge at any time."

As NASP predicted, the denial of Peachtree's petition for review was quickly followed by Sanders v. JGWPT Holdings, a class action lawsuit, accusing JGWPT Holdings, Inc., several affiliate companies including J.G. Wentworth and Peachtree Settlement Funding, and Illinois attorney Brian Mack, of violating the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practice Act (ICFA). The case has since been removed to the Federal Court in the Southern District of Illinois with that court expected to rule on various motions and petitions in February 2015.

As a result of Brenston, according to Nesbitt:

• Many Illinois structured settlement recipients lack liquidity options because many transfer companies are avoiding the state.
• Some transfers continue to be completed in Illinois when all interested parties agree to waive existing anti-assignment language.
• Some annuity providers, however, will not waive anti-assignment provisions in Illinois cases while others evaluate them on a case-by-case basis.
• Attorneys for some annuity providers are citing Brenston to challenge transfers in other states.

Discounted PV and Applicable Federal Rate

The NCOIL State Structured Settlement Protection Model Act, which NSSTA and NASP have agreed to support, contains a definition for "discounted present value" linked to "the most recently published Applicable Federal Rate for determining the present value of an annuity, as issued by the United States Internal Revenue Service." This rate is generally higher than, and unrelated to, the discount rate actually incorporated into most structured settlement transfers. Nesbitt concluded his conference presentations with a detailed critique of NCOIL's discounted PV definition and explained why NASP believes this definition confuses rather than informs state judges.

Additional Presentations

NASP's conference featured two additional individual presentations.

Former NSSTA Deputy Executive Director Peter Arnold predicted future integration of the primary and secondary structured settlement markets. To support his prediction, Arnold reviewed NSSTA's historic attitude toward "factoring transactions." Arnold also highlighted NSSTA membership qualifications which currently prohibit members from "actively soliciting and promoting structured settlement factoring transactions to individuals who are receiving periodic payments under structured settlements."

Pery Krinsky, an ethics-based defense attorney who serves as Chairman of the Committee on Professional Discipline of the N.Y. County Lawyers' Association, spoke about legal ethics issues. He did not mention Paris & Chaiken, a New York law firm accused of falsifying court orders approving structured settlement transfers, which has reportedly retained Krinsky as outside ethics counsel for assistance with these cases.

Panel Discussions and Breakout Sessions

NASP's 2014 conference included four panel discussions and four breakout sessions (see listings below). Panel highlights and issues addressed:

• Drafting Transfer Agreements - Assigned payments vs. assigned payment rights; clients vs. sellers or annuitants relating to transfer company fiduciary responsibilities; representations and warranties; holdbacks and deductions; limited powers of attorney; testamentary agreements; arbitration provisions.
• Primary Market - NSSTA Fall conference; MSA market; primary market surveys; impact of Affordable Care Act; ELNY update; PLR-143928-13 and "hardship conversions"; settlement planning developments; re-cycled structured settlements; Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013; provider company departures; primary/secondary cooperation opportunities; best and worst business practices; annuity provider issues with transfer companies.
• Responding to Insurer Transfer Objections - Confirming his company's "good relationship" with transfer companies, Madis Smit of State Farm highlighted several insurer issues: unanticipated costs of reviewing 15 to 20 transfers per week; inadequate notice (need at least seven days); difficulty in locating some requested settlement documents; split payment problems resulting from insurer technology limitations; "three touches" constitute an insurer ideal (petition; order; notice of approval). Additional issues discussed: proposed documents from insurers that do not meet state-specific requirements; protecting public information in case filings.
• Judicial Panel - "Best interest" considerations; multiple transactions; common mistakes by petitioners; privacy issues; discount rates; independent professional advisors. The judges also were encouraged to identify questions for the audience - and did so. All three judges expressed a need and interest for additional education about the secondary market.

Alexander Hamilton Award

NASP honored James Lokey as the 2014 recipient of its Alexander Hamilton Award. Lokey completed the first transfer of structured settlement payment rights in 1986 thereby launching the secondary market. NASP has bestowed its Alexander Hamilton Award seven times "to distinguished individuals who have supported and defended the right to free alienability of property rights." NASP considers this right to be its own cornerstone and the foundation of the structured settlement factoring business.

Topics and Speakers

• Welcome Remarks - Patricia LaBorde.
• Legislative and Regulatory Developments - Jack Kelly.
• Legislative Update - Earl Nesbitt.
• Drafting Transfer Agreements - Jason Sutherland and Brian Mack.
• Hamilton Award - James Lokey.
• Integration of Primary and Secondary Markets - Peter Arnold.
• Primary Market Panel - Patrick Hindert (Moderator), Daniel Durbin, Medora Marisseau, Mark Wahlstrom.
• Ethics Issues - Pery Krinsky.
• Responding to Insurer Transfer Objections - Michael Damore (Moderator), John Shafai, John Mott, Michael Green, Steven Mastrantonio, Madis Smit.
• Break Out Sessions
  • Preparing vs.Coaching a Problem Payee - Laryssa Korduba and Elyse Strickland.
  • Addressing Judicial Concerns - Roger Dunaway and Andrew Hillman.
  • Life Contingent Issues - Michael Fasano and Dan Bonner.
  • Bankruptcy Issues - Michael Damore and Adam Zoldessy.
• Illinois Litigation and Discounted Present Value - Earl Nesbitt.
• Judicial Panel - Matthew Bracy (Moderator), Judges Lynne Parker, Patricia Summe, Travis Francis.

For S2KM reports of additional 2014 educational conferences plus eight of the nine prior NASP conferences, see the structured settlement wiki.

SSP 2014 Annual Meeting

"Unification not polarization!" Society of Settlement Planners (SSP) President Neil Johnson espoused this principle in his keynote address as the theme for SSP's 2014 Annual Meeting and Educational Conference.

Current industry polarization as identified by Johnson, and discussed by other SSP conference speakers, arguably encompasses:

• Plaintiff vs. defense structured settlement brokers.
• Primary vs. secondary structured settlement markets.
• Structured settlements vs. settlement planning.
• Settlement annuities vs. settlement trusts.
• Settlement planning vs. special needs planning.

Johnson's SSP keynote speech also highlighted and proposed solutions for industry polarization: 1) recognizing and accepting product diversity; 2) focusing on client and customer service; 3) identifying and pursuing permanent shared interests without necessarily agreeing on all issues; 4) engaging all perspectives to discuss industry problems and issues; 5) improving relationships among stakeholder groups; 6) promoting and practicing settlement planning not settlement selling.

Johnson, and subsequent SSP speakers, addressed one of the most diverse gatherings ever of structured settlement and settlement planning industry leaders. Speakers and attendees included members of NSSTA, NASP, NAMSAP, ASNP, SNA, NAELA and SSP as well as lien resolution experts, mass tort administrators, life care planners, settlement trustees, annuity providers and bloggers.

Except for Johnson as SSP's President, speakers expressed personal opinions and did not appear as representatives of other professional associations.

SPEAKERS - By Category and Listed Alphabetically

• Settlement Planners / Structured Settlement Broker/Agents - Michael Goodman; Donald McNay; Joseph Tombs.
• Structured Settlement Attorneys - Jeremy Babener; Stephen Harris; Patrick Hindert; Earl Nesbitt; Edward Stone.
• Product Providers - Daniel Durbin; David Hickey.
• Special Needs Attorneys - Michele Fuller; Kevin Urbatsch.
• Medicare Set-Aside (MSA) Experts - Christine Melancon; Sally Stalcup.
• Lobbyist - Jack Kelly.
• Social Media - Megan Hargroder.
• Customer Service - Bruce Loeffler.

S2KM Comments

Settlement Planning - S2KM has written previously (see: AAJ 2014 Winter Meeting) about expanding products and services offered by plaintiff structured settlement brokers. Joe Tombs' SSP presentation expanded this list and proposed a "fiduciary standard" for settlement planners. For personal injury settlement planning to emerge as a recognized profession, however, SSP (and/or other settlement planning participants) needs to address these fundamental questions:

• Which professionals and professional skill sets are needed to construct a settlement plan?
• What professional work product results in a settlement plan?
• What are the standard components of, and documentation for, a settlement plan?
• How much does it cost (professional fees, commissions, etc) to produce a settlement plan?
• What would a settlement planning "fiduciary standard" mean in terms of: "best interest", "full disclosure" and "informed consent"?
• What settlement planning licensing and e&o coverage are necessary and applicable to protect customers?
• Which professional associations include "settlement planners" and what certification programs do they offer?
• What settlement planning business models currently exist?

Industry Unification - SSP's 2014 conference represents a strategic milestone and challenge for future educational programs sponsored by structured settlement and settlement planning professional associations.

• SSP spotlighted structured settlement and settlement planning polarization as the foremost industry problem.
• SSP President Neil Johnson proposed sensible solutions which other SSP speakers echoed and effectively endorsed.
• Without endorsing specific speakers or topics, SSP's conference agenda addressed critical and divisive industry issues - and featured speakers offering alternative perspectives.
• SSP conference speakers and attendees represented an unprecedented gathering of settlement planning industry leaders.

Industry Game Changers - Speaker Michele Fuller's list of settlement planning "game changers" did not mention Executive Life of New York (ELNY) or the structured settlement secondary market - two divisive issues of continuing importance addressed by other SSP speakers (Edward Stone and the secondary market panel, respectively). Her Top-10 list, however, provides a baseline for future discussions among industry associations and participants:

1. Affordable Care Act.
2. Lien resolution statutory and regulatory developments.
3. Federal recognition of same-sex marriages.
4. Wrongful death caps determined unconstitutional.
5. State and federal tax reform.
6. Potential reductions in social security benefits.
7. MSAs in liability cases.
8. Settlement planning goes cyber.
9. Increasing need for Qualified Settlement Funds.
10. Increasing number of persons with disabilities.

Congratulations to SSP, and especially conference chairperson Rhonda Bentzen, for maintaining SSP's noteworthy quality standards for its annual educational programs.

For S2KM reporting about prior educational conferences sponsored by SSP and other structured settlement and settlement planning associations, see the structured settlement wiki.

SSP 2014 Secondary Market Panel

In addition to its other accomplishments (most notably publication of "Standards of Professional Conduct for Settlement Planners"), the Society of Settlement Planners (SSP) has distinguished itself by sponsoring educational programs addressing issues, featuring speakers and permitting perspectives the more defense-oriented National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA) traditionally has been reluctant or unwilling to offer.

SSP's 2014 Annual Conference, to be held April 27-29 in New Orleans, promises to continue this more open-minded educational tradition.

As one example,  SSP's Secondary Market Panel discussion will feature two leading structured settlement transfer legal experts whose clients typically oppose each other in significant secondary market cases:

• Stephen R. Harris - among other roles and accomplishments, Stephen (a partner at Drinker Biddle whose clients include annuity providers) recently served as co-Chairman of NSSTA's Legal Committee.
• Earl S. Nesbitt - in addition to representing factoring companies, Earl (a founding partner of Nesbitt, Vasser & McCown) serves as Legal Counsel and Executive Director for the National Association of Settlement Purchasers (NASP).

SSP's Secondary Market Panel, which will be moderated by Patrick Hindert (S2KM's Managing Director and blog author), should be educational and entertaining - and hopefully somewhat controversial. Here are some of the questions the featured panelists will address.

Overview

• Is the secondary market good or bad for the primary structured settlement market?
• Among other objectives, IRC 5891 and the Model State Structured Settlement Protection Act (Model Act) were enacted to protect claimants from predatory secondary market business practices. Both NSSTA and NASP supported these statutes. How successfully have these statutes accomplished their objective to protect structured settlement recipients?
• Based upon your experience, what changes or amendments, if any, would improve the Model Act?
• Would adding a multiple bid requirement as part of the "best interest" test improve the secondary market?

Troubling Developments

• During NASP's 2013 annual conference, former NASP President Robin Shapiro expressed personal outrage about "troubling reports concerning the structured settlement factoring business" including:
  • Falsified transfer orders.
  • Inter-state forum shopping.
  • Short-cutting waiting periods and disclosure requirements.
  • Expediting hearing dates before preferred judges.
  • "Competing bids" from the same company.
• How prevalent are these business practices?
• What have NASP, NSSTA and/or other primary market participants done to address these issues? What should they do?

Falsified Orders

• Reports indicate a former paralegal at the New York law firm Paris & Chaikin falsified as many as 100 transfer orders?
• What happened? What is the status?
• How will these events impact the secondary market and its various participants including: the law firm, its secondary market clients, the annuity providers and the structured settlement recipient/transferors?

Anti-Assignment Restrictions

• Recent (Brenston) and current class action (Sanders) cases in Illinois address the impact of "anti-assignment" restrictions on transfers of structured settlement payment rights.
• What is the status of these cases and related litigation? What are the issues?
• Does the recommended assignment language in NSSTA's Model Qualified Assignment and Release Agreement solve this problem - or is some other solution necessary?
• What case-specific responsibilities do structured settlement brokers, settlement planners and other plaintiff advisers have related to anti-assignment restrictions?

Primary Market Responses

• MetLife recently adopted controversial new business practices whereby it opposes transfers that involve split payments as well as court-approved servicing arrangements.
• What is MetLife's rationale and objective?
• How are these business practices impacting the secondary market?
• The Florida state legislature is considering a bill that would add a maximum discount rate (similar to North Carolina) to its existing protection act..
• Is this a good idea?
• How has the North Carolina provision impacted the secondary market in that state?
• Why haven't more annuity providers offered commutation-like alternatives to third party factoring transactions? What impact would such alternatives have on the existing primary and secondary markets?

RLS Arbitrations

• RLS (formerly Rapid Settlements) has attempted to use the Federal Arbitration Act to side step state structured settlement protection statute requirements.
• What is the status of the related RLS litigation?

Conclusion

• What other secondary market issues do you see as important for the future of structured settlements?
• What opportunities exist for primary and secondary structured settlement market cooperation? What is preventing this cooperation?

For background about these secondary market issues, see the structured settlement wiki and more specifically these prior S2KM blog posts:

• Structured Settlements 2013 - Secondary Market
• Secondary Market Update - February 3, 2014
• Sanders v. JGWPT Holdings

For more detailed analysis of secondary market issues, see Chapter 16 of "Structured Settlements and Periodic Payment Judgments" (S2P2J).

Secondary Market Update

This structured settlement secondary market report updates S2KM's most recent secondary market reporting:

• Structured Settlements 2013 - Secondary Market
• Asta Funding Acquires CBC Settlement Funding

Falsified New York Transfer Orders

S2KM previously reported that a New York law firm had falsified court orders approving structured settlement transfers in as many as 100 cases - and possibly more. Industry sources have identified the responsible law firm as Paris & Chaikin where a former non-lawyer employee, apparently created the fraudulent, court-related documents. The primary transfer companies represented by Paris & Chaikin in these transactions were J.G. Wentworth, and its affiliate Peachtree Financial Solutions, as well as Stone Street Capital.

Paris & Chaikin has retained Pery D. Krinsky , according to industry sources, as outside ethics counsel for assistance with these cases. An online 2013 Speaker Biography states in part: "Pery’s ethics-based defense litigation practice focuses on: attorney ethics matters, representing judges before the Commission on Judicial Conduct, criminal defense matters, art law ethics & litigation matters, and representing law school students before the Committees on Character & Fitness. Pery serves as the Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section of the N.Y. State Bar Association. Pery also serves as Chair of the Committee on Professional Discipline of the N.Y. County Lawyers’ Association."

Ongoing investigations of these fraudulent transfers are being conducted by the New York State Courts and the New York County District Attorney's Office. Primary and secondary market representatives with whom S2KM has discussed these fraudulent transfers disagree on how they are impacting judicial attitudes toward structured settlement factoring transactions and factoring companies in New York.

Proposed Amendment to IRC 5891

Representative Matthew Cartwright (D-Pa) has introduced H.R. 3897, a bill which, if enacted into law, would amend IRC 5891 and impose standards and procedures which are substantially different than currently provided by the Model State Structured Settlement Protection Act (Model Act) and almost all of the 48 related state statutes.

The most controversial provision of H.R. 3897 appears to be proposed new paragraph (5) under current subsection (b) titled "Transaction Requirements" which would provide in part: "(A)" In General - A transfer of structured settlement payment rights shall be treated as satisfying the requirements of this paragraph only if the transfer meets the following requirements:

• "(1) The annual discount rate of the consideration for the transfer, determined by taking into account charges, fees and other expenses, does not exceed the prime rate plus 5 percentage points.
• "(2) The aggregate amount of the charges, fees and other expenses payable by the payee do not exceed 2 percent of the value of the consideration to the payee (net of such charges, fees and other expenses)."

This H.R. 3897 language is similar to provisions in the North Carolina structured settlement protection act. North Carolina is one of only three states which currently impose statutory ceilings on discount rates. A recent bill to amend the Florida structured settlement protection act likewise proposes a discount ceiling similar to North Carolina.

Note: following years of conflict, the primary market National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA) and secondary market National Association of Settlement Purchasers (NASP) reached an agreement in 2000 to support a combined federal and state legislative solution for structured settlement transfers which resulted in IRC 5891 and the Model Act. It is S2KM's understanding this agreement remains in effect.

Peachtree Settlement Funding v. Cathy Brenston

In 2013, an Illinois 5th District panel, sitting for the 4th District Illinois Court of Appeals, held that an Illinois state court, which had previously approved transfers requested by Brenston:

• Had a duty to enforce anti-assignment provisions in Brenston's original structured settlement documentation; and
• Had no authority under the Illinois protection act to approve the transfer petitions - even though all of the relevant parties had waived the anti-assignment provisions.

The Illinois Supreme Court subsequently denied Peachtree's petition for appeal of this decision leaving both primary and secondary structured settlement market participants uncertain about the case's precedential meaning and scope. In an Amicus curiae brief, NASP asserted the Appellate Court decision could render the Illinois transfer statute "a practical nullity"

S2KM has learned that a companion case involving Peachtree and Brenston remains on appeal in the 3rd District Illinois Court of Appeals and will be argued February 27, 2014. The parties had previously stayed their appeal waiting for the Illinois Supreme Court to rule on the 4th District case.

In a recent Florida case, summarized in this Drinker Biddle Structured Settlement Alert, a Sumter County Circuit Court Judge cited the Brenston case as authority in ruling that an April 2011 transfer order was void ab initio, and that resulting arbitration awards were “impotent and without substance.”

For additional information about structured settlements and anti-assignment provisions, see S2KM's prior blog post "Anti-Assignment Restrictions".

METLife Split Payment Policy

During NASP's 2013 Annual Conference, NASP Executive Director Earl Nesbitt reported that MetLife has begun actively opposing transfers that involve split payments as well as court-approved servicing arrangements. Under such servicing arrangements, structured settlement annuity providers typically remit the entirety of specific periodic payments to transfer companies to administer even when the original recipient/transferor only assigns a portion of the payments.

Primary market proponents of MetLife's new policy argue that at least 27 state structured settlement protection acts prohibit partial transfers. In addition, they maintain that servicing contracts represents an annuity provider obligation and that post-transfer problems can occur from subsequent, multiple transfers resulting from such occurrences as divorces, child support obligations and improper transfers by trust beneficiaries.

In response, Nesbitt believes this "Hobson's choice", forcing injury victims to sell all or nothing, will cause "deep trouble" for MetLife and other annuity providers who may adopt MetLife's split payment policy. Nesbitt argues that annuity providers are protected by stipulation agreements and administrative fees. He predicts litigation, legislation and attorney general investigations could result.

Stock Market Prices

• JGWPT Holdings, Inc. - JGWPT Holdings IPO, which occurred November 8, 2013, was poorly received with JGWPT Inc. reducing the initial offering price of its common stock from $19-$22 per share to $14.00 which then traded down to the high $12s. Since then, the common stock, which now trades on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: JGW), reached a high of $18.00 per share and closed Friday January 31 at $16.992 per share.
• Asta Funding Inc. - Asta, a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: ASFI), acquired an 80% ownership interest in CBC Settlement Funding, LLC ("CBC"), a structured settlement factoring company on December 31, 2013. Following announcement of the purchase on January 7, 2014, Asta's stock price closed during regular trading hours at $8.28 per share. The stock closed Friday January 31 at $8.20 per share.

For S2KM's complete reporting about the structured settlement secondary market, see the structured settlement wiki.

Structured Settlements 2013 - Secondary Market

While Berkshire Hathaway quietly assumed leadership among primary market structured settlement annuity providers during 2013, J.G. Wentworth (JGW) continued to consolidate its control of the secondary market with the same "subtlety" and ubiquitousness that have characterized its late-night television advertisements.

Various industry experts estimate JGW's secondary structured settlement market share, following its 2012 merger with Peachtree Financial Solutions (Peachtree), now totals somewhere between 50% and 75%, and the combined JGW/Peachtree's share of industry profits now exceeds 80%.

JGWPT Holdings Inc. IPO

JGW's 2013 apogee occurred November 8 when JGWPT Holdings Inc.'s IPO produced what is currently the only publicly traded structured settlement company. The IPO was poorly received with JGWPT Inc. reducing the initial offering price of its common stock from $19-$22 per share to $14.00 which then traded down to the high $12s.

The stated purposes for JGWPT's IPO were to pay down some of JGW's $572 million debt and to provide its pre-IPO equity holders (JLL Partners) an opportunity to earn additional profits. Post-IPO, JLL Partners continues to hold a 39% economic interest and a 63% voting interest in JGWPT while four of its partners sit on the company's Board of Directors.

JGWPT's common stock, however, now trades on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: JGW) and closed Friday (December 27, 2013) at $17.10 per share. At least one analyst has informed S2KM he believes the stock is currently worth at least $20 per share based upon JGW's "dominant franchise", access to securitization markets, low costs relative to competitors and "incalculable returns on capital", among other factors.

Problems and Controversies in 2013

As S2KM reported in this prior blog post, JGW, which was founded in 1995, had experienced a tumultuous history prior to 2013 - and problems and controversies continued to plague the company during 2013:

• Abandoned Sale - Bloomberg News reported in January 2013 that JLL Partners had abandoned plans to sell the company after bids failed to meet expectations. Earlier reports had indicated that JLL Partners was seeking a $1 billion purchase price for JGW from private-equity firms.
• Ratings Downgrade - Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) announced in February 2013 a downgrade of its Corporate Family Rating (CFR) for JGW from B3 to Caa1. Under Moody's credit rating scale, "Caa1" signifies a long-term rating "rated as poor quality and very high credit risk." Moody's CFR ratings for JGW are separate and distinct from financial agency ratings applicable to JGW structured settlement securitizations which historically have been rated as high quality and low risk investments.
• Shareholder Distribution - Moody's announcement confirmed "JGW is undergoing a leveraged recapitalization that will result in a tripling of the company's corporate debt as it pays its shareholders a very substantial dividend....Net proceeds from the $425 million Senior Secured Term Loan issuance will be used to finance a $309 million capital distribution to JGW's shareholders as well as to repay an existing $142 million term loan."
• Falsified Court Orders - JGWPT's amended S-1 statement, filed October 28, 2013 in anticipation of its public offering, included the following statement under a section titled "RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS OPERATIONS: ... there have in the past and may be in the future deficiencies in court orders obtained on our behalf by third parties that result in those court orders being invalid, including as a result of failures to perform according to our requirements and acts of fraud,..." That statement apparently references as many as 100 falsified court orders in New York approving JGW structured settlement transfers.
• Brenston Case - The Illinois Supreme Court denied Peachtree Settlement Funding's petition for appeal of the 4th District Illinois Court of Appeals' decision in the Settlement Funding v. Cathy Brenston case. The earlier Court of Appeals decision held the Illinois state court, which had previously approved transfers requested by Brenston 1) had a duty to enforce anti-assignment provisions in Brenston's original structured settlement documentation; and 2) had no authority under the Illinois protection act to approve the transfer petitions - even though all of the relevant parties had waived the anti-assignment provisions. In an Amicus curiae brief, the National Association of Settlement Purchasers (NASP) asserted the Appellate Court decision will render the Illinois transfer statute "a practical nullity"
• Competitor Outrage - During NASP's 2013 annual conference, in remarks apparently directed at JGW, former NASP President Robin Shapiro expressed personal outrage about "troubling reports concerning the structured settlement factoring business" including:
  • Falsified transfer orders.
  • Inter-state forum shopping.
  • Short-cutting waiting periods and disclosure requirements.
  • Expediting hearing dates before preferred judges.
  • "Competing bids" from the same company.
• NASP Conference - In addition to Shapiro's comments, NASP's 2013 annual conference focused on controversial issues which have historically divided the primary and secondary structured settlement markets. In her keynote remarks, NASP President Patricia LaBorde encouraged diverse perspectives and re-inforced NASP's policy of politically unobstructed learning. "We want to hear from all structured settlement stakeholders - even if they disagree with us or don't like who we are," LaBorde stated. "We are here to listen. We are here to improve."
• METLife Split Payment Policy - During his NASP presentation, Executive Director Earl Nesbitt reported a controversial new business practice that is troubling JGW and other transfer companies. MetLife apparently is now actively opposing transfers that involve split payments as well as court-approved servicing arrangements. Under such servicing arrangements, structured settlement annuity providers typically remit the entirety of specific periodic payments to transfer companies to administer even when the original recipient/transferor only assigns a portion of the payments.
• Educational Forums - In addition to the NASP conference, JGW competitor Strategic Capital sponsored an online structured settlement "expert roundtable" which examined secondary market business practices and issues. S2KM Managing Director Patrick Hindert participated in the expert roundtable and also served as moderator for NASP's annual primary market panel discussion.
• Former Executives' Lawsuit - Another 2013 JGW nadir occurred in October when two former JGW executives and directors filed a Complaint in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware against current JGW CEO David Miller, three current JGW Directors and multiple JGW affiliate companies seeking to enforce a Tax Receivables Agreement (TRA) under which they claim they are owed approximately $35 million. A copy of the Complaint, which is posted on the structured settlement wiki, highlights JGW's complex organizational history as well as a shareholder focus disconnected from the welfare of its customers.

SEC Addresses Structured Settlement Transfers

Responding in part to concerns about secondary market business practices, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of Investor Education and Advocacy issued an Investor Bulletin in 2013 titled "Pension or Settlement Income Streams: What You Need to Know Before Buying or Selling Them".

The Investor Bulletin highlights questions potential sellers and investors should ask before proceeding with proposed structured settlement transfers and includes a number of additional warnings and resource links.

A responding article , written by two industry leaders, characterized the SEC Bulletin as "misleading and in some cases inaccurate concerning the sale of structured settlement payment streams and factored structured settlements as an investment vehicle." The authors assert the SEC Investor Bulletin should have clarified the following features of structured settlement factoring transactions:

• "Always court ordered"
• "No negative tax consequences to the seller"
• "Investors' rights"

Secondary Market Growth

Despite problems and controversies, the U.S. structured settlement secondary market appears to have experienced additional growth during 2013. Based upon various industry sources, and subject to future revisions based upon subsequent information, S2KM estimates the 2013 structured settlement secondary market has increased approximately 7% compared with 2012 resulting from approximately 12,800 transfers and $385 million PV of secondary market purchases.

Adding these 2013 numbers to prior historic estimates, S2KM estimates:

• Approximately 149,000 structured settlement transfers have occurred since 1986;
• Involving approximately 74,000 recipients - many of whom have made multiple transfers;
• With approximately $4.4 billion PV in aggregate sums paid to those recipients.
• For an average of approximately $30,000 per transfer.

For comparison, S2KM estimates the primary market has sold approximately $139 billion PV of structured settlement annuities to approximately 800,000 recipients since 1975 with an average premium of approximately $174,000.

For additional S2KM reporting about the secondary market, see the structured settlement wiki. For additional S2KM 2013 annual reports, see:

• Part 1 - Primary market.
• Part 2 - Settlement planning.

J.G. Wentworth Update

November was an "interesting" month for JGWPT Holdings Inc. (JGWPT), the leading purchaser of structured settlement payment rights, which markets under the names of J.G. Wentworth (JGW) and Peachtree Settlement Funding (Peachtree).

Significant developments included: 1) falsified transfer orders in New York; 2) an initial public offering (IPO); and 3) a refusal by the Illinois Supreme Court to review the 4th District Illinois Court of Appeals' decision in the Settlement Funding v. Brenston case.

Also during November, at the most recent National Association of Settlement Purchasers (NASP) Annual Conference:

• Former NASP President Robin Shapiro expressed his personal outrage about "troubling reports concerning the structured settlement factoring business." At least some of Shapiro's criticism appeared to be directed toward some JGWPT business practices.
• NASP Executive Director Earl Nesbitt reported a controversial new business practice that is troubling JGWPT and other transfer companies. MetLife apparently is now actively opposing transfers that involve split payments as well as court-approved servicing arrangements. Under such servicing arrangements, structured settlement annuity providers typically remit the entirety of specific periodic payments to transfer companies to administer even when the original recipient/transferor only assigns a portion of the payments.

As S2KM previously reported, JGW, which was founded in 1995, had already experienced a tumultuous recent history prior to November:

• On June 1, 2009, JGW and two affiliated companies entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the company "encountered liquidity problems amid a tightening credit market".
• Standard & Poor's Rating Services had earlier announced, at JGW's request, that it would no longer rate JGW's counterparty credit and senior secured debt.
• During this period, JGW laid off 120 of its 200 employees and closed its office in Las Vegas.
• According to industry sources at that time, JGW's $325 million of general corporate bonds were "almost worthless" and were trading, if at all, for pennies on the dollar.
• Less than six months later, JGW emerged from bankruptcy with an announcement that owner JLL Partners had invested an additional $100 million in the company.
• By 2011, JGW had re-entered the asset-backed structured settlement securitization market.
• Also in 2011, JGW merged with Peachtree in a stock swap, with JLL Partners retaining control of the merged companies which have each continued to participate in the secondary market.
• On January 30, 2013, Moody's Investors Service announced a downgrade of its Corporate Family Rating (CFR) for JGW from B3 to Caa1. Moody's also issued the same downgrade for JGW's $425 million senior secured term loan and $20 million senior revolving credit facility issued by Orchard Acquisition Company, a subsidiary of JGW.

Estimates of secondary market experts interviewed by S2KM in late 2012 of the post-merger 2012 market share of the JGW and Peachtree varied from a low of 50% to a high of 75%. These experts also believed JGW/Peachtree's share of the estimated 2012 U.S. secondary structured settlement market profits of $120 million was $100 million, or 83%.

JGWPT Holdings Inc.'s Amended Form S-1 Registration Statement, filed October 28, 2013 prior to its November 8, 2013 public offering of common stock, provides more recent financial and marketing information about JGW's holding company. Selected data:

• JGWPT's 2012 revenue sources included: structured settlements (89% of revenues), lotteries (6%), presettlement funding (3%), and non-structured settlement annuities (2%).
• For the year ended December 31, 2012 and the six months ended June 30, 2013, JGWPT:
  • Generated revenue from structured settlement purchases totalling $416 million and $222 million.
  • Generated cash from the net financing activities of its warehouse financing and permanent securitization financing facilities totalling $314.8 and $131.3 million, not counting $29.9 million generated from its most recent July 2013 securitization.
  • Used cash of $225.7 million and $163.3 million in its operating activities.
• During 2013 prior to it IPO, JGWPT distributed $459.6 million to its "common interest holders" resulting in members' capital of $38.4 million and negative tangible equity of ($96.2 million) as of June 30, 2013.
• Since 1995, JGWPT has
  • Spent approximately $585 million in marketing through multiple media outlets including $216 million during the past three years.
  • Purchased more than $9.1 billion of structured settlement payments. Its average customer has completed two separate transactions.
• During an average four week period, JGWPT generates more than 510 million advertising impressions which result in 80% of its target audience viewing its advertisements five or more times during that four week period.
• Kantar Media estimates that JGW and Peachtree have each spent approximately five-times more than their nearest competitor on television advertising since 2008 and together have spent over 80% of the total amount spent by all participants in the U.S. secondary structured settlement market.
• JGWPT's customer databases included more than 121,000 current or prospective structured settlement recipients as of July 31, 2013 entitled to approximately $31 billion of unpurchased structured settlement payments.
• JGWPT's nationwide attorney network covers over 3,000 counties. Approximately 95% of the proposed structured settlement purchases JGW and Peachtree present to a judge have been approved.

The stated purposes for JGWPT's IPO were to pay down some of its $572 million debt and to provide its pre-IPO equity holders (JLL Partners) an opportunity to earn additional profits. Post-IPO, JLL Partners continues to hold a 39% economic interest and a 63% voting interest in JGWPT while four of its partners sit on the company's Board of Directors.

JGWPT originally anticipated raising $300 million by selling 12.2 million Class A shares at a price between $19 and $22 each. When demand didn't materialize, the IPO opened at $13 per share and fewer shares were offered.

JGWPT's stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: JGW) and closed today (December 2, 2013) at $16.45 per share. At least one financial analyst with whom S2KM has spoken believes JGWPT's stock remains substantially undervalued and is worth at least $20 per share.

For additional S2KM reporting about J.G. Wentworth and the structured settlement secondary market, see the structured settlement wiki.

Brenston Appeal Denied

The Illinois Supreme Court has denied Peachtree Settlement Funding's petition for appeal of the 4th District Illinois Court of Appeals' decision in the Settlement Funding v. Cathy Brenston case.

The earlier Court of Appeals decision held the Illinois state court, which had previously approved transfers requested by Brenston:

• Had a duty to enforce anti-assignment provisions in Brenston's original structured settlement documentation; and
• “[The transfer court] had no authority under the Act to approve” the transfer petitions - even though all of the relevant parties had waived the anti-assignment provisions.

In other words, despite the existence of the Illinois transfer statute, the Appellate decision declared court orders approving assignments to be "void ab initio", as a matter of Illinois law, whenever structured settlement documentation purports to limit assignability.

For additional information about structured settlements and anti-assignment provisions, see S2KM's prior blog post "Anti-Assignment Restrictions".

Case Background

• Cathy Brenston resolved a medical malpractice case against the University of Illinois Board of Trustees in 2003 with a structured settlement.
• Subsequent to her settlement, Brenston completed multiple factoring transactions with Peachtree Settlement Funding (Peachtree) all of which were approved by Illinois Circuit Courts (Sangamon and Peoria Counties) in accordance with the Illinois transfer statute.
• All transactions were closed and funded. Brenston was paid. The structured settlement obligors and annuity issuers acknowledged and implemented the court orders.
• Brenston filed lawsuits in Cook County in 2011 to void the prior transfer orders arguing anti-assignment clauses in the settlement agreement and the qualified assignment agreements prevented the transfer courts from exercising jurisdiction. The defendants included:
  • Peachtree
  • Peachtree's transfer lawyer
  • Brenston's transfer counsel
  • The structured settlement obligors and annuity issuers
  • The defendant in the original lawsuit
• After Peachtree invoked an arbitration clause, Brenston re-filed the lawsuits in Sangamon and Peoria Counties where Peachtree moved to dismiss the petitions on the grounds that:
  • The transfer courts had subject matter jurisdiction to enter the orders;
  • Brenston has already received the financial benefits of the orders;
  • Brenston provided no reason to vacate said orders; and
  • The statute of limitations had expired.
• The trial court granted Peachtree's motions to dismiss and denied Brenston's motions to reconsider and motions for leave to file an amended petition.
• Brenston appealed arguing the Sangamon and Peoria County courts erred in dismissing her petitions where the pleadings sufficiently showed that the orders approving the transfers were obtained by fraud, and therefore void ab initio and subject to challenge at any time.
• An Illinois 5th District panel, sitting for the 4th District Illinois Court of Appeals, agreed with Brenston's argument and issued its decision - even though Peachtree and Brenston had:
  • Settled the case prior to the Appellate Court's decision; and
  • Filed motions to stay the Appeal.

Appellate Court Holdings

• Brenston's underlying settlement agreement contained an unambiguous, enforceable anti-assignment restriction.
• The transfer court had a duty to enforce that provision and "had no authority" under the Illinois transfer statute to approve the proposed transfers.
• The proposed transfers were improperly filed in Sangamon and Peoria Counties instead of Cook County where Brenston resided.
• Brenston's transfer orders are "void ab initio" because:
  • Peachtree did not file all settlement documents with the transfer court.
  • Peachtree concealed "by omission" the existence of the anti-assignment provision which "omission was material".
  • The conduct of Peachtree and it's attorney amounted to an "affirmative falsehood and a fraud upon the trial court".

Impact of Brenston

• An Amicus curiae brief filed by the National Association of Settlement Purchasers (NASP) states that the Appellate Court decision will render the Illinois transfer statute "a practical nullity".
• "Without the certainty and finality of a court order, there is no viable secondary market," the NASP brief states. "Because every structured settlement contains boilerplate language that purports to limit or restrict assignability, every Illinois court approved transfer could be subject to challenge at any time."

S2KM thanks NASP Executive Director Earl Nesbitt and NASP President Patricia LaBorde for their insights concerning the Brenston case and for granting S2KM permission to utilize materials from Nesbitt's 2013 NASP Annual Conference Litigation Update.

S2KM will continue reporting Brenston case developments including whether and how NASP and the National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA) will respond.

For S2KM's complete reporting about the structured settlement secondary market, see the structured settlement wiki.