LISA sharpens focus on legislative affairs during annual fall conference

The Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA) rolled out an aggressive strategy for encouraging legislation that protects a consumer’s right to sell a life insurance policy during its 25th Annual Fall Life Settlement & Compliance Conference recently in Nashville.

More than 150 industry professionals from the U.S. and Europe attended the event, which is the longest-running professional event of its kind in the life settlement industry run by the oldest and largest trade association representing members of the life settlement industry.

“We have made a strategic shift as a trade association to pursue a more comprehensive legislative and regulatory affairs strategy,” said Bryan Nicholson, executive director of LISA, in his opening remarks at the annual LISA Members Meeting held at the conference. “Our vision is to support public policies at the federal and state levels that will grow the life settlement industry by making it easier for consumers to extract value from the investments they have made in their life insurance policies and by raising awareness of the life settlement option as an alternative to policy lapse or surrender.”

LISA also announced the results of its Board of Directors election process. Serving on the board are six members who are continuing their terms, as well as two members who were elected to a three-year term and one member re-elected to a new three-year term. The current directors are as follows:

• Alan Buerger, Coventry
• Brian Casey, Locke Lord LLP (newly elected)
• Chris Conway, ISC Services
• John Dallas, Berkshire Settlements
• Rob Haynie, Life Insurance Settlements
• Stephen Kirkwood, Vida Capital (newly elected)
• John McFarland, NorthStar Life Services
• Steven Shapiro, Q Capital Strategies (re-elected to new term)
• John Welcom, Welcome Funds

The newly constituted Board of Directors will elect officers at its November board meeting within the next 30 days.

Featured conference sessions over the three-day event included a keynote address regarding how to lead organizations in an industry experiencing significant growth, a workshop focusing on successful branding and marketing strategies for the life settlement industry, an expert presentation regarding artificial intelligence and the future of life settlements, a legislative and regulatory update from a panel of industry leaders, and a session containing life settlement market predictions and industry forecasts.

“This year’s conference was well attended by life settlement brokers, providers, institutional investors, actuaries, attorneys, bankers and other service providers,” said Nicholson. “Our program combined informative educational sessions to help industry participants more successfully manage their businesses with a variety of professional networking opportunities to help them close more deals.”

LISA’s next scheduled conference will be its annual Institutional Investors Conference and will take place on February 3rd in New York City. More details will be available soon at www.lisa.org/events.

About Life Insurance Settlement Association: Established in 1994, the Life Insurance Settlement Association is the oldest and largest trade organization in the life settlement market. LISA’s membership consists of brokers, providers, financing entities, and service providers to the industry (law firms, medical underwriters, consultants, investment funds, actuarial firms, trustees and escrow agents). Members provide essential services to policy owners and industry participants. The life settlement industry is a dynamic marketplace representing the needs of life insurance policy owners. LISA is proud to serve as its leading voice. LISA members rank among the industry’s largest and most respected life settlement companies. For more information visit www.lisa.org.