The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 9 : Commerce and Trade

Chapter 063 : Consumer Protection

Subchapter 005 : TRANSFERS OF STRUCTURED SETTLEMENTS

• § 2480bb. Definitions

  In this subchapter:

  (1) “Annuity issuer” means an insurer that has issued a contract to fund periodic payments under a structured settlement.

  (2) “Dependents” includes a payee’s spouse and minor children and all other persons for whom the payee is legally obligated to provide support, including alimony.

  (3) “Discounted present value” means the present value of future payments determined by discounting such payments to the present using the most recently published applicable federal rate for determining the present value of an annuity, as issued by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

  (4) “Gross advance amount” means the sum payable to the payee or for the payee’s account as consideration for a transfer of structured settlement payment rights before any reductions for transfer expenses or other deductions to be made from such consideration.

  (5) “Independent professional advice” means advice of an attorney, certified public accountant, actuary, or other licensed professional adviser meeting all of the following requirements:

  (A) the advisor is engaged by the payee to render advice concerning the legal, tax, or financial implications of a structured settlement or a transfer of structured settlement payment rights;

  (B) the adviser’s compensation for rendering independent professional advice is not affected by occurrence or lack of occurrence of a settlement transfer; and

  (C) a particular adviser is not referred to the payee by the transferee or its agent, except that the transferee may refer the payee to a lawyer referral service or agency operated by a State or local bar association.

  (6) “Interested parties” means, with respect to any structured settlement, the payee, any beneficiary irrevocably designated under the annuity contract to receive payments following the payee’s death, the annuity issuer, the structured settlement obligor, and any other party that has continuing rights or obligations relating to the structured settlement payment rights that are the subject of the proposed transfer.

  (7) “Net advance amount” means the gross advance amount less the aggregate amount of the actual and estimated transfer expenses required to be disclosed under subdivision 2480cc(5) of this title.

  (8) “Payee” means an individual who is receiving tax-free payments under a structured settlement and proposes to make a transfer of payment rights thereunder.

  (9) “Periodic payments” includes both recurring payments and scheduled future lump sum payments.

  (10) “Qualified assignment agreement” means an agreement providing for a qualified assignment within the meaning of 26 U.S.C. § 130, as amended from time to time.

  (11) “Settled claim” means the original tort claim resolved by a structured settlement.

  (12) “Structured settlement” means an arrangement for periodic payment of damages for personal injuries or sickness established by settlement or judgment in resolution of a tort claim but does not refer to periodic payments in settlement of a workers’ compensation claim.

  (13) “Structured settlement agreement” means the agreement, judgment, stipulation, or release embodying the terms of a structured settlement.

  (14) “Structured settlement obligor” means, with respect to any structured settlement, the party that has the continuing obligation to make periodic payments to the payee under a structured settlement agreement or a qualified assignment agreement.

  (15) “Structured settlement payment rights” means rights to receive periodic payments under a structured settlement, whether from the structured settlement obligor or the annuity issuer, where:

  (A) the payee is domiciled in this State; or

  (B) the structured settlement agreement was approved by a court in this State.

  (16) “Terms of the structured settlement” include, with respect to any structured settlement, the terms of the structured settlement agreement, the annuity contract, any qualified assignment agreement, and any order or other approval of any court or other government authority that authorized or approved such structured settlement.

  (17) “Transfer” means any sale, assignment, pledge, hypothecation, or other alienation or encumbrance of structured settlement payment rights made by a payee for consideration.

  (18) “Transfer agreement” means the agreement providing for a transfer of structured settlement payment rights.

  (19) “Transfer expenses” means all expenses of a transfer that are required under the transfer agreement to be paid by the payee or deducted from the gross advance amount, including court filing fees, attorney’s fees, escrow fees, lien recordation fees, judgment and lien search fees, finders’ fees, commissions, and other payments to a broker or other intermediary.

  (20) “Transferee” means a party acquiring or proposing to acquire structured settlement payment rights through a transfer. (Added 2011, No. 168 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)