Author: Chris Wells

Download Life Risk News Volume 3, Issue 6, June 2024 Industry publication The Deal publishes an annual report that looks at the number of transactions in the life settlement industry’s secondary market. This year, the headline numbers show a market in growth mode, as both the number of deals and the total value of them have increased for the third consecutive year. Greg Winterton spoke to Rainer Gruenig, CEO at Plenum Investments, Rob Haynie, Managing Director at Life Insurance Settlements, Inc. and Anton Pozine, Portfolio Manager at Ress Capital to get an asset manager’s perspective on the state of the secondary…

Download Life Risk News Volume 3, Issue 5, May 2024 In April, industry group LISA was at an NCOIL meeting proposing amendments to NCOIL’s Life Settlements Model Act that would support growth in the secondary market. It followed that up in early May by publishing the 2023 edition of its Market Data Collection Survey. Greg Winterton joined the dots, with comments from Bryan Nicholson, Executive Director at LISA, John Dallas, CEO at Berkshire Settlements and Chair of LISA, Alan Buerger, Coventry First Co-Founder and Executive Chairman and ACLI spokesperson Whit Corman in Life Settlement Market Pays More Than $800m To…

Download Life Risk News Volume 3, Issue 4, April 2024 Unsurprisingly, given its growth and potential for capital optimisation, UK regulators have been carefully watching the increased use of funded reinsurance, writing a letter to Chief Risk Officers at insurers in June last year, and following that up in November by issuing a consultation paper. Aaron Woolner spoke to Michael Abramson, Partner at Hymans Robertson and Craig Turnbull, Partner at Barnett Waddingham to get their thoughts on the current state of the space in UK Regulators Look To Understand Funded Re Risks.  At the beginning of February, UK trade group…

Download Life Risk News Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2024 The first two weeks of March have provided new constituent developments in the UK’s pension risk transfer market as industry players compete for talent. Greg Winterton spoke to TC Jefferson, Managing Partner at executive search firm The Plenum Group and to learn more, with additional commentary from James Mullins, Head of Risk Transfer at consulting firm Hymans Robertson in Personnel Battle Heating Up As Constituents Change in Booming UK Pension Risk Transfer Market. The European Life Settlement Association (ELSA, publisher of Life Risk News) has recently published Selling a Life Insurance…

Download Life Risk News Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2024 Both the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent changing macroeconomic environment have had something of a longer-term impact on the life ILS market, in terms of deal activity particularly. Greg Winterton spoke to Craig Gillespie, Head of Life and Alternative Credit at Leadenhall Capital Partners, and Luca Tres, Head of Strategic Risk and Capital Life Solutions, EMEA at Guy Carpenter, to get their thoughts on the topic in Despite Bumpy Couple of Years, Lessons Learned Stand Life ILS Market in Good Stead.  Nearly seven million Americans over 65 had Alzheimer’s dementia…

Download Life Risk News Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2024 Happy New Year.  Our first cover story of 2024 looks at what’s in store for the US pension risk transfer market this year. Aaron Woolner spoke to Sheena McEwen, Head of Distribution at Legal and General Retirement of America and Jake Pringle, Principal and Consulting Actuary at Milliman, to get their views in Still Plenty of Capacity for Growth in Robust US PRT Market.  Closed-ended funds are increasingly common in the life settlement market, but there are significant idiosyncrasies that investors need to know when deciding whether an open or…

Download Life Risk News Volume 2, Issue 12, December 2023 Industry group the European Life Settlement Association (ELSA, publisher of Life Risk News) published new information recently that provides insight into the number and activities of the life settlement provider market. Greg Winterton spoke to John Dallas, President of Berkshire Settlements and incoming Chair at the Life Insurance Settlement Association, and myself for our thoughts on the topic in New Insights Into Life Settlement Providers Shows Market Offering Solid Asset Manager and Consumer Choice.  Much has been written about the higher interest rate environment contributing to the improved funding status…

Download Life Risk News Volume 2, Issue 11, November 2023 A new report from asset manager, Conning, suggests that the outlook for growth in the life settlement market is generally positive. Life Settlements: Steady Growth Ahead is the 18th annual report that the Hartford, CT-based company has published covering the life settlement market. Scott Hawkins, Head of Insurance Research, and Roberta Lauria, AVP, Insurance Research at Conning offer their thoughts to Greg Winterton, with colour from Jonas Martenson, Founder and Sales Director Ress Capital and Alejandra Limones, Partner at Demeter Capital in Outlook for Growth in Life Settlement Market Positive. …

Download Life Risk News Volume 2, Issue 10, October 2023 The impact of the rising interest rate environment of the past 18 months has had a significant impact on the life settlement industry, as it has with all alternative asset classes. Greg Winterton spoke to Bill Corry, Founder at Corry Capital, Alejandra Limones, Partner at Demeter Capital and Jonas Martenson, Founder and Sales Director at Ress Capital to get their thoughts on the state of the life settlement market in Plenty of Positives for Life Settlement Market Despite Challenging Macro Environment. A number of factors determine an individual’s likely life expectancy, but there is also evidence that social contact has an impact…

Download Life Risk News Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2023 The pension risk transfer market in the US is now a $50bn+ market, but unlike the UK, it’s one where private equity and private debt funds are playing increasing roles. That’s not gone unnoticed by some groups, so Aaron Woolner spoke to Charles Decker, a Researcher at UNITE HERE, and Joe Engelhard, Senior Counsel, US Policy & Regulation at the Alternative Investment Management Association to understand both the reservations that some have about this development, and the rebuttal, in Spotlight Falls on US Life Insurer’s Private Debt Investments, our cover…