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Well, it's a critical question, and one that should be explored with care. Many receive a structured settlement as an annuity paid over a long period of time in compensation for injury or malpractice. While the stable income of a structured settlement can be a necessary key to financial security, many people are often left in a bind when they need money for a sudden expense or emergency, and are unable to procure the collateral for a loan.
That's where structured settlement buyers come in. These companies offer a single lump sum of cash in exchange for your monthly payments, giving you the up-front capital you need to manage a crisis, or make a needed purchase/investment.
Monday, November 4th
In a field dominated by high-pressure sales tactics, Fairfield Funding is a breath of fresh air. With one of the most informative and helpful websites we have found, and a series videos on YouTube to help you understand structured settlement selling, Fairfield Funding stands out as a company that first informs their potential customers as to the importance of understanding all aspects of a structured settlement, helping them understand the gravity involved in selling it upfront for cash.
Upfront and informative
Fairfield Funding is one of the most informative companies on our list. Their website details almost everything you might want to consider when selling your structured settlement, and includes a long list of traps to watch out for (such as overpriced discount rates), considerations, and - most importantly - the recommendation that you talk to your attorney and/or financial advisor before selling your settlement. In addition, they let you know that their discount rate (one of the charges leveraged against you to account for risk) is between 9%-18%, and they encourage you to shop around to find an ideal rate.
No high pressure sales pitch
Fairfield Funding's centrally-positioned informative tips heavily contrast them with some of their exploitative peers, who often pressure you to contact them first, and encourage you not to think too much about the potential disadvantages of selling your structured settlement. While Fairfield Funding does encourage you to reach out to their customer representatives, whether through email or phone, they don't overwhelm their website visitors like other companies. Rather, it seems Fairfield Funding's ethos is one of first informing their customers, and then working with them, That's something we here at Top Consumer Reviews thoroughly appreciate.
A $500 best price guarantee
Fairfield Funding guarantees that you can receive a no-interest cash advance after 5 days, and that they will offer the lowest price in fees or pay you $500 (this requires a copy of a competitor's offer in writing, however, and the acceptance of their structured settlement purchase). In addition, they guarantee that they will close the transaction and get you your money as quickly as the law allows in your state. While the trustworthiness of the buyer is first and foremost, we welcome that Fairfield Funding offers these additional guarantees.
Few complaints and a good rating
Fairfield Funding has received a respectable number of positive reviews on aggregate review sites, which usually mention the courtesy and respect Fairfield Funding has shown to their customers. Fairfield Funding has also received an "A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau, but more importantly, they only have one complaint against them on the BBB - which was immediately addressed (and was actually invalid to begin with). Having few customer complaints on the Better Business Bureau goes a long way in securing our recommendation, as it is a testament to the overall quality of their company.
A potentially equitable partner
While you should never consider selling your structured settlement without first contacting a financial advisor, if selling a whole or portion of your structured settlement is right for you, you should very well consider Fairfield Funding. As one of the all-around best buyers of structured settlements, you should feel comfortable discussing them with your attorney or financial advisor. As they seem keen to ensure their sellers are informed and well-represented, they will likely make an equitable business partner in the negotiation of your structured settlement sale. They earn our highest rating for buyers for structured settlements.
When we search for quality in a structured settlement buyer, there is one thing we look for first and foremost: do they recommend you seek independent legal and financial counsel. If yes, it goes a long way towards assuring us of their quality. We found that Peachtree Financial is one of the more informative and ethical structured settlement buyers out there.
An ethical choice
When searching through Peachtree's offerings, not only does Peachtree clarify that their provided lawyer does not represent your interest, they helpfully state the qualities of (and questions you should ask) your own lawyer in deciding who will represent your interests. Taking steps to ensure that customers who may not know to look for independent legal counsel know that they should seek independent representation, is simply the ethical choice on Peachtree Financials' part. High marks for that.
An overall helpful website
While Peachtree Financial does not offer in-depth video explanations like some of their competitors, they lay out every step of the process so you know what to expect. They also explain how to best prepare so that you are not only ready for the court date, but ready with independent counsel to represent your best interests. It would be nice if Peachtree Financial more strongly emphasized how critical it is to seek independent legal and financial counsel, but when compared to their rivals, the materials here are downright saintly.
No promotion, no problem
While Peachtree Financial does not advertise any kind of signing bonus or deal on their main page, we don't think this is necessarily a detriment. The sale of a structured settlement can involve the negotiation of (potentially) tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Working with a fair and conscientious partner who recommends you seek independent legal counsel is much more critical than a simple $50 dollar bonus, or any similar kind of cheap promotion.
Unfortunate mailing practices
While we strongly appreciate Peachtree's informative structured settlement materials and recommendations to hire independent legal counsel, we are a little put off by the complaints on their Better Business Bureau page. These detail some spam-like contact practices involving multiple letters and calls from changing phone numbers. This is disappointing considering their otherwise customer-first materials, and has been accounted for in the slight lowering of our rating. While they still have received an "A+” from the Better Business Bureau, and have promptly responded to customer complaints, it appears that their affiliation with the larger JG Wentworth has led to the adoption of some unfortunate mailing practices.
A good buyer to consider
Overall we're impressed with the measured information provided by Peachtree to their potential customers. Still, they are a subsidiary of the JG Wentworth corporation, and as such they seem to engage in some unscrupulous customer contact practices. Even so, we think that if you are determined to sell your structured settlement, Peachtree Financial is likely a good choice to discuss with your financial advisor, and a strong competitor with which to negotiate and compare offers from other structured settlement buyers.
In the structured settlement market since 2009, CBC Settlement Funding is a Pennsylvania based company that operates as part of the 777 Partners hedge fund investment portfolio. While not the top on our list, we think that in a field dominated by unscrupulous players, CBC Settlement Funding is one of the better companies out there.
Informative and helpful
We appreciate that CBC Settlement Funding offers helpful information about structured settlements, the selling of structured settlements, and your protections as a seller. As the field of structured settlement buyers is rather infamous for its high-pressure tactics, and has been the subject of many consumer protection laws through the years, it reflects well on CBC that they disclose this information.
A deceptive calculator
While CBC Settlement Funding does provide a "calculator” to determine how much your annuity is worth, this tool actually does not work. Instead, no matter what you input into this calculator, you are taken to a webpage to enter your contact information and invited to call a representative. In addition, while they state that they offer "competitive rates”, they do not give any indication as to what those rates are, or what a seller might expect before calling. We think that offering a broken calculator that leads to a phone call is deceptive at best, and reflects poorly on CBC Settlements.
A commitment to ethics
CBC Settlement Funding is one of the only companies on our list that states they won't pursue the purchase of your structured settlement if they feel it is not in your best financial interest. In addition, they recommend exactly what we also advocate: that you should consult with an attorney, accountant, or financial planner before selling your settlement. While little more than a line on a website, we still appreciate that it seems CBC Settlement Funding takes ethical concerns into consideration, especially in a field as fraught as the purchase of structured settlements.
Good BBB rating, complaints addressed
While CBC Settlement Funding has an "A+” with the Better Business Bureau, there are multiple customer complaints on their Better Business Bureau profile (which, to their credit, they have responded to). But, ratings with the Better Business Bureau can be a bit tricky when dealing with structured settlement buyers, and the number of complaints can be a better indicator than their overall letter grade. While we appreciate that CBC Settlement Funding is responsive, all the complaints ranging from late payments to simple miscommunication reflects somewhat poorly that they were made in the first place.
Not the best, but one to consider
We appreciate the informative and easy to navigate website provided by CBC Settlement Funding, and we value the care they take in informing their potential customers to seek out financial professionals. Even so, we don't like steering customers into sales calls such as through their fake rates calculator. In any case, CBC Settlement Funding is likely worth your consideration, and could be a good company to talk about with your financial advisor.
If you have ever watched cable TV, then you've likely seen JG Wentworth's varied (and memorable) advertisements, most of which state some variation of "It's my money and I want it now!” Even though JG Wentworth is a reputable company, we aren't exactly comfortable with the way they represent structured settlement selling. We're also concerned with the fact that they don't recommend independent legal and financial counsel before working with them.
Slightly misleading information
While JG Wentworth does offer information pertinent to selling a structured settlement, we found this information to be slightly misleading, which makes it dangerous for customers. For example, JG Wentworth frames the beneficial tax-free payout of a structured settlement as unfairly "keeping you from your money”, and they overrepresent the role of inflation in devaluing the value of a structured settlement. Most financial advisors would tell you that under no circumstances will you come out ahead when selling your structured settlement, and that you will lose money long-term. We find the fact that JG Wentworth misrepresents the basic facts of a structured settlement, and insinuates that the nature of structured settlements is somehow unfair, distasteful to say the least.
A standard guarantee
JG Wentworth does offer a "best price guarantee”. If you can provide a written quote from a competitor which JG Wentworth cannot match, they will pay you $1,000 payable on receipt of confirmation that you sold all or part of your structured settlement through JG Wentworth. While this seems okay on the surface, if you have a better deal elsewhere that JG Wentworth cannot match, why continue with JG Wentworth's suboptimal price? Especially in regards to a deal that may involve forfeiting tens of thousands of dollars in future payments? On closer inspection, such cash guarantees don't really have much value for the seller.
An "A+” BBB rating, but some spammy practices
JG Wentworth has an "A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau, seemingly due to the fact that they respond to every complaint. However a quick perusal of customer complaints reveals a company that engages in predatory spam mail and calls. Customer complaints on the Better Business Bureau report endless streams of contacts from JG Wentworth, bordering on harassment. JG Wentworth does a good job responding to customer complaints on the Better Business Bureau sites once they are publicly posted, but the sheer volume of complaints from customers ins concerning. These complaints include requests not to be contacted, which were repeatedly ignored. This should give you pause before giving JG Wentworth any of your contact information (though, if you have received a structured settlement, structured settlement buyers may have already mined your contact information from public records).
A grim reminder: no buyer is your friend
Going through JG Wentworth's Better Business Bureau profile contains a staggering amount of heartbreaking stories from people who were addicts, just turning 18, or desperate, counseled into disadvantaged sales of their structured settlements by JG Wentworth. Of course, JG Wentworth responds to these complaints with all the necessary disclaimers and assertions of no-fault that are the staple of large corporations. However, the fact remains that JG Wentworth is a large company that buys structured settlements, ultimately seeking its own benefit as a priority. If you engage with them without representation, they may pressure you into a bad deal with all their legal i's dotted and t's crossed.
Watch your step
If your financial advisor advises that JG Wentworth is a good choice to sell your structured settlement, they may still be worth your while. You need to have someone in your corner protecting your interests. However, do not engage with any kind of financial giant like JG Wentworth alone. You may be better served by a smaller company with less incentive to pressure you into a sale.
DRB Capital is a company whose policies reveal unscrupulous practices in the purchasing of structured settlements. We'll state right up front: we feel there are better companies out there.
Well managed reviews: disgruntled employees
While DRB Capital has well-managed reviews on aggregate review sites, looking through employee reviews on Glassdoor reveals a different story. Many employees complain of a frenetic sales environment in large call-center locations, in which workers are pushed to use high-pressure sales tactics on people who may not fully understand the implication of selling their structured settlement. Employees also complain that when they did attempt to buy structured settlements, it was exceedingly difficult to make a sale, as competitors would offer better rates.
An exploitative website and practices
DRB Capital's website is a barren information desert designed to drive technologically-inept customers into a sales call. With a confusing user interface, frequent chat box pop-ups, and endless prompts to call for a "free quote”, their website feels more like a minefield of potential exploitation than any kind of legitimate business. DRB Capital goes to great lengths to assure you that they offer "fast cash” and that selling your structured settlement is "easy”. Few major financial decisions are ever easy. When it comes to something as important as selling a structured settlement, most who say anything like that are trying to scam you.
Tread carefully
And in fact, you need to be careful. Hidden behind all the buzzwords is this bombshell of a sentence: when describing their process, they state that "all you have to do is provide us with the paperwork for your structured settlement or annuity, and fill out a few forms that allow us to work on your behalf”. To translate, this means that they want you to sign away your representation in the mandatory court hearing (meant to ensure you are not being scammed), all under the guise of making things "easy”. Yes, this makes things easy - but agreeing to this means you're giving the company the rights to look after your money, when in reality they have their own best interests at heart.
Discrepancy between rating and reviews
DRB Capital has an "A+” rating on the Better Business Bureau, but a 1.67/5 from customer reviews on the same site. This discrepancy between their rating and their reviews is likely due to the fact that they respond to and "resolve” every complaint actually posted to the BBB website, even as they engage in potentially unscrupulous practices. Reviewing DRB Capital's profile on the Better Business Bureau reveals a company whose modus operandi is the harassment of beleaguered customers.
You're on the list
Clients frequently complain that DRB Capital spams them for years with calls from changing phone numbers. Customers also receive unrequested advertisements from DRB Capital made to look like real checks sent through the mail promising upfront cash payments. While it seems that DRB Capital addresses these complaints once they show up on the BBB page, if a customer doesn't formally complain, then the calls and emails simply continue.
"Best price guarantee” offered
DRB Capital does have some perks when compared to competitors, including a "Best Price Guarantee”. If you receive a better offer than the one DRB Capital provides, then they will match the price or pay you $50. However, doing so means you need to give your contact information to DRB Capital, and then agree to sell all or part of your settlement to them. Reading from customer reviews alone, we would be hesitant to give DRB Capital any kind of contact information, let alone agree to sell all or part of our structured settlement to them for a mere $50 dollars extra.
Settlement buying sweatshop
Almost everything we found about DRB Capital points to a predatory settlement-buying sweatshop, one that targets their customers with unending mail and spam calls. Their focus seems to lie more in exploiting their call center-esque employees and promoting their brand management online, as opposed to actually helping their customers. The fact that DRB Capital states they "work with the courts” on your behalf is very misleading. All it means is that they are trying to make it so you don't work with a person - an attorney or a financial advisor - who is looking out for your best interests.
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, RSL Funding goes a long way towards bad mouthing their competitors and does little to assure us of their quality. While we don't recommend RSL Funding, we'll show you what they offer and what led us to assign their lower rating.
Poor information offered
Across all companies we ask two important questions: how well do they inform their customers as to the severity and finality of structured settlement sale, and do they direct their customers to seek independent legal advice or counsel? Unfortunately, RSL Funding receives a failing grade on both accounts. In addition to missing these marks, their "information” page is populated with exploitative blog posts opining on whatever financial difficulty or crisis is currently in the news - from small pandemic stimulus checks to inflation - followed by an irresponsible and misleading celebration of the ease and wisdom of selling your structured settlement. We find this disingenuous and dangerous, and reveals a company more concerned with garnishing the income of the most vulnerable with fluff pieces, as opposed to working with well-informed and well-represented individuals.
Is it really a guarantee?
RSL Funding offers a $1,000 guarantee of the best price you'll receive for your structured settlement. However, as with similar offers from other companies, this $1,000 is contingent on you actually accepting their terms of the sale of your settlement. If you've already found a buyer with a better offer, then it's unlikely that RSL's $1,000 guarantee is going to make any kind of meaningful difference.
Keep your friends close
They also offer a $500 refer a friend bonus. For this to work, if you refer a friend who sells all or part of their structured settlement to RSL Funding, you'll receive $500. However, keep in mind that selling a structured settlement means you're accepting a lower value of the settlement in exchange for getting your money upfront. If a friend of ours were receiving tax-free payments that helped sustain or supplement their income, we would be a very poor friend if we pressured them to sell that income for a mere $500 referral fee. Especially to a company that doesn't even let their customers know they should seek independent legal counsel.
Poor policies
RSL Funding has an "A+” Rating with the Better Business Bureau. However when it comes to structured settlement buyers, that is a poor indication of how they will treat you, and whether they will offer you a good deal. RSL Funding has few reviews overall, but their overall poor sales practices are testament to how they will treat you: they do not inform their customers as to best practices of structured settlement sales, the site is rife with misleading information as to the value of selling a structured settlement, and additionally they offer a strange and potentially exploitative $500 referral for the sale of structured settlements.
Not a good resource for structured settlement sales
The sale of a structured settlement is a serious and potentially life-changing financial decision, one that can both aid in short-term crises and significantly hamper your future financial security. As such, you and your independent financial or legal advisor should choose to make that decision with a company that treats you fairly. All of that means that we suggest you look to higher rated structured settlement buyers for your business.
While the Stone Street Capital website is adorned with various cartoon cows engaging in activities one might need money for (fixing a car, going to college, tending a broken bone), there is little that is cute or frivolous about selling your structured settlement, or the process that should go into your decision to do so. Peering below Stone Street Capital's cutesy veneer reveals a company with some unscrupulous practices.
Well designed website...
Everything on Stone Street Capital's website is designed to be friendly and simple. They have a "free quote” tool and a user interface that is cute and pleasant to navigate. We love cows, and their cartoon figures are fun to see.
...that hides their business practices
However, that cuteness belies their business practices. Their "free quote” tool is actually just a form that will give your express written consent to have Stone Street Capital contact you with texts and an auto dialer. The cartoonish figures downplay the seriousness of selling a structured settlement, in order to get you to give them your contact information. When compared to the websites of other companies on our list that offer a wealth of educational materials and wise recommendations, Stone Street Captial's pleasant but misleading user interface is more like a well-dressed con man: meant to lull you into a false sense of security more than anything else.
Suspicious reviews
While Stone Street Capital has an "A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau, 22 of the 24 reviews about Stone Street Capital on the Better Business Bureau were all submitted in a one month period of 2021, are usually one sentence, occasionally misspelled, and offer no specifics about their financial arrangement or structured settlements. Are they real? To us, these favorable reviews appear suspicious to say the least.
Fake scratch-offs sent in the mail
Diving into Stone Street Capital's customer outreach history reveals some very unsavory business practices. It seems that as part of their promotional efforts for structured settlement purchasing, they mailed fake scratch off tickets to potential customers with prepaid Visa Cards enclosed. The activation of the visa cards was predicated on calling Stone Street Capital, listening to a sales pitch, and receiving a quote from them. We were very disappointed to discover that their business practices involve hooking customers with a facsimile of gambling. Dealing with a structured settlement is a serious and complicated business. We feel that these are simply not the actions of a company that takes your personal best interests seriously.
Better options available
Take our advice and go with a company that doesn't send fake scratch off tickets to people whose information was likely mined from a public registry of structured settlement recipients. Selling all or part of your structured settlement is an activity to be taken with an overabundance of caution and the backing of an independent legal counsel or financial advisor. As such, a company with even a hint of shady practices is in no way worth your time or energy.
Northstar Settlement Funding is, by all appearances, not a reputable company. In fact, almost everything about them is suspicious in one way or another. Even though we don't recommend them, and they have earned our lowest score, we've laid-out the details of their offerings, so you yourself can determine why we strongly recommend a company more highly rated than Northstar Settlement Funding for your structured settlement.
Unprofessional website
On first visiting the website for Northstar Settlement Funding, you are met with a smiling bearded man in a suit. His body is covered by the exhortation to "cash out now!”, followed by the abrupt pop-up of a small vibrating chat box with a fake notification signal. This slapdash low quality design permeates the entire website. There is almost no information provided on structured settlements or the buying process.
Spelling errors and missing functionality
Reading through the website, we found misrepresentations of the importance of selling a structured settlement, as well as some good old fashioned errors throughout, such as this page headline "We can give best facilities for business!” Not only that, in the About Us section they provide a video for you to watch - but when you click the "play” button, there is in fact no video, but a pop-up box that simply displays the website again. Something is seriously broken with their website, which does not instill confidence in their practices as a reputable structured settlement buyer.
Misleading information
Northstar Settlement Funding seems to encourage customers to engage with them without hiring independent legal or financial counsel, and misrepresents the gravity of selling a structured settlement. They state that their attorneys will handle everything, and that while they are required to inform you in writing that you can hire independent legal counsel, they are quick to downplay why that might be necessary, and even suggest that you can waive that right in certain states. In addition, some of their statistics are simply nonsensical: what does "88% settlements” mean? Why does it matter that they make "$90K” in daily payments, and to whom? Even ignoring misspellings, the information offered by Northstar Settlement Funding is nonsensical at best, and dangerously misleading at worst.
No BBB rating and no reviews
Northstar Settlement Funding has no profile with the Better Business Bureau, no rating, and no customer reviews to be found. Not only that, but they supposedly employ 346 people, and yet their given address appears to be a small office building in California that houses a chiropractor, with no space for an office. The website misspellings, lack of (or misleading) process information, and absence of company data about anyone associated with Northstar Settlement Funding all combine for an eerie, off-putting experience.
Too suspicious to trust
There is something seriously off about Northstar Settlement Funding. It is unacceptable for a company that is proposing to purchase multiple thousands of dollars of your future payments to have such an unprofessional and suspicious website. Whether they are simply a new business that has yet to finish setting up their website, or they're just in dire need of a proofreader, or something more malevolent, we recommend you avoid making a major financial decision with a company that can't be bothered to either inform their customers or write legibly on their website. And, as always, be sure to talk with a financial advisor before committing to selling your structured settlement.
It almost goes without saying that you should take care when you sell your structured settlement. While there are reputable buyers out there, many companies appear out of nowhere, or engage in less-than-reputable business practices. As the sale of a structured settlement is a major decision, a bit of careful investigation to determine the quality of the buyer can go a long way towards a transaction you'll be happy with.
Typically the sale of a structured settlement requires that you appear in court to talk to a judge in order to determine that you understand the particulars of the sale of your structured settlement, and that the sale is in your best interest. While potentially annoying, your court appearance is a critical step in the process, and something that directly protects you as a consumer.
Before this step, companies are required to advise you in writing that you can hire independent legal counsel to review your sale in court with you. This is strongly recommended, as legal counsel and financial advice can give you power and leverage in your structured settlement sale, making it so you get a better deal, and potentially earning multiple-thousands more from the sale of your settlement. If you sign this away to another person or a company, they may represent their own best interests, rather than yours.
So, which structured settlement buyers are worth your time? As you investigate the options, here are some tips for you to keep in mind:
At Top Consumer Reviews, we want to make sure that our readers are well-equipped to navigate the sometimes murky waters of the structured settlement industry. We've gathered the best companies we could find, and ranked them based on their overall reputation and business practices. As you shop around for the best deal in the sale of your structured settlement, you should feel comfortable using our curated list as a starting point for finding a fair and honest buyer.
Select any 2 Structured Settlement Buyers to compare them head to head