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January 18, 2009 at 07:00 PM
Although the current economy is making life settlements more attractive to many seniors who have lost asset value in the equity markets, it has also made it harder to find investors who want their policies, executives in the industry report.
Meanwhile, lengthening longevity estimates have also put a crimp in the settlement marketplace, they agree.
“On the capital market side, we’ve had the same issues as a lot of marketers–lack of liquidity,” says Scott Kirby, a co-president of Advanced Settlements Inc., a broker in Orlando, Fla. Although many large institutional capital investors are still in the market, others are on the sidelines for now, he says. Kirby adds, however, that his company is starting to see some signs of improvement. “Some groups are tip-toeing back to the market, and we hope to see more come back in,” he says
Seniors seeking to sell their life insurance policies are not exactly being overwhelmed by investors, Kirby says. But neither does he see any rush from seniors anxious to use their policies to raise cash.
“Our typical client is a high-net-worth individual who often has assets in more conservative accounts,” he says. “Everyone has lost money in this economy, but if you are 75 or 80 years old, I don’t think the last asset you have left that still has value is your insurance policy.”
Russel Dorsett, managing director of Veris Settlement Partners, Rockville, Md., maintains a sturdy conviction that the settlement market will rebound.
“It will come back this year, absolutely,” says Dorsett, who works in Veris’s Houston office. “We have high hopes that come mid-2009 we’ll be able to provide policyholders with investors to bid on their insurance.”
Dorsett doesn’t see many distress sales of policies due to the current economy. As for settlement investors, “there’s no question the combination of the credit market freeze and changes in life expectancies threw the market for a loop,” he adds. “But the money is out there. The money managers are not deploying it much now, but then, they don’t get paid for sitting on cash, so they’ve got to go into the market at some point.”
The combination of a buyer’s market and uncertainty about policy valuations has reduced the number of offers brokers are getting, he concedes.
“On the other hand, what hasn’t lost value in this environment?” he asks. “Life settlements certainly held up better than equities. Life settlements (as an asset class) are going to be more attractive in this economy. My advice for seniors interested in selling their policies is to pay another quarterly premium and see if the market thaws.”
