by Structured Settlement Watchdog
When it comes to your structured settlement, do you need to play hide and seek with your buyer?
If you need cash now, but have no other alternatives but to sell some or all of your structured settlement payment rights, then you may want to follow these simple common sense rules:
- Avoid any company which claims to be able to pay you "cash now", whose website does not list its full legal name and legal address on its home page, or at the very least on its contact page. There are alot of them and they grow like weeds. Without this information you cannot check with your Secretary of State to see if they are registered to do business in your state, or with your state's attorney general, to see if any complaints have been filed against them.
- Avoid any company where there is no pick up from a phone call after a reasonable number of rings
- Avoid any company whose voice mail states that no one is available, if you know which extension... push it, and does not clearly state the name of the company, an individual's name, or even thank you for calling. It's amateur night!
That's just for starters. There is HUGE profit potential in the business yet there is little to no regulation of sales practices (particularly relating to manner in which you can be solicited). This is far different than the regulation of those who place injury victims into structured settlements in the first place. Those folks are heavily regulated.
Here are some examples of "companies" with red flags who on the basis of these sales practices in my opinion deserve a little well...you get the picture! (as of January 11, 2011 8pm EST)
1. 24K Capital , claims to be a Nationwide Purchaser of Annuities & Structured Settlements.
While Gold may be a hot investment these days, the trail on these guys is cold. No live person during the middle of the day, no name of company in voice mail, no address. Especially comforting when you read "All information is kept for the private use of 24k Capital" Who?
If they are truly a nationwide company can they afford to at least identify themselves so consumers can kick the tires?
Otherwise they're about as useful as Scott Rothstein's 24K commode.
<----The depths to which the structured settlement watchdog must "plunge" to get the "bottom" of the story
2. Boardwalk Funding suggests that all will be all rosy "under them". Yet its website lists no address, there was neither a live person to answer the phone at 877-891-3776, nor a voice mail after 30 rings and the domain registration shows that the owner wishes to remain anonymous. Makes you think they are a bunch of "drifters"!
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At least with THOSE "Drifters" the words "Stand By Me" might have actually meant something! Seller beware!
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