Do you ever wonder how structured settlement factoring companies pay for commercials that air all day and all night? I bet Heather Sutton, a 23 year old woman from East Bangor, Pennsylvania could tell you. Heather sold a $150,000 payment due in 2024 to Peachtree Settlement Funding for a one time lump sum payment of $11,000. Settlement Quotes could purchase this same payment for $43,000. Unfortunately for Heather she didn't contact Settlement Quotes.
One would think that the structured settlement factoring industry is out to steal money out of annuitant's pockets and this is for good reason. From an outside perspective this author can see how this could happen, but please be assured that there are companies such as Settlement Quotes where annuitants can go to get a great price for their structured settlement payments. The only press that this industry seems to generate is press involving companies like Peachtree Settlement Funding ripping clients off.
In the article, "Need Cash Quickly? You'll settle for less", Heather seems to be happy with the transaction that she had with Peachtree even though the discount rate of the transaction is above 18%. Heather was able to get enough money to get her back up on her feet, but the sad truth to this is that Heather could have sold only a small portion of her $150,000 payment to raise the same $11,000 if she had contacted a company like Settlement Quotes.
The industry as a whole has seen discount rates decline as private money has poured into the secondary market over the past 6 months. Structured settlement factoring transactions are being completed with discount rates below 8% which is at a historical low. This trend is rapidly diminishing due to the Fed threatening to raise rates. While the discount rate for Peachtree's transaction is extremely high for the time, in the near distant future the average discount rate may reach into the mid teens.
If you are looking to cash out a structured settlement, this author suggests to get as many quotes as possible to ensure that you are getting a fair market value for your future structured settlement payment rights.