What is a Life Settlement?
A simple definition of a life settlement is the selling of a person’s life assurance to another party for an upfront purchase fee. The life assurance policyholder is paid a payment that is more than the policy’s cash value, but less than the policy’s survivor benefit. After the coverage is handed over, the purchasing party is now the legal owner on the policy and also must assume responsibility for future premiums. The person selling their policy receives the agreed amount of money for the policy, and the purchasing party receives the death benefit once the insured does pass.
In WY., life settlements are controlled under the auspices of the Wyoming Department of Insurance, and we strongly recommend that you check the regulator’s website to be very certain that you work with a sanctioned firm. A license as a life settlement provider is not reqruired in the state of Wyoming.
A Quick Take on How It Works
When a policy owner takes the decision that they want to give up their current insurance policy, a life settlement offers a good alternative to discontinuing the standing policy and relinquishing it to the insuring company. Much of the time, the insurance policy value is higher than the amount to be received if it were suddenly lapsed back to the insurer. In choosing to work with a properly licensed firm, the policyholder can take the policy to a interested market where established investors can bid on policies offered up for auction. Then the sanctioned life settlement provider may direct the overall sales process, from soliciting bids from investors, to coordinating with the policy owner to finalize the policy sale closing procedure. And lastly, all sales are closed with an escrow agent, as an additional level of protection for the policy seller. Often, the sales transaction procedure can be completed within a month or two dating from the initial request.