Keydata Investment Services founder Stewart Ford has arranged a £91 million ($150 million) loan facility for Lifemark

According to Ford, the 'in principle' loan will secure the long-term financial stability of the Luxembourg-based company.

Lifemark issued bonds, paid for by investments in a portfolio of life settlement policies, underpinning retail investments sold by structured product provider Keydata.

Ford said investors were likely to receive a full return of capital if the 'in principle' loan offer for Lifemark was accepted, highlighting payments this year and projected payments in the years to come.

The facility was offered to Lifemark provisional administrator, Eric Collard of KPMG Luxembourg last week.

The loan would prevent a 'fire sale' of assets, according to Ford, and would allow the life settlement policies portfolio time to mature and generate a full return of capital to investors.
 
The loan is reported to have been provided by a US bank with experience of lending against ‘non-traditional’ assets.

Ford believes the loan will allow Lifemark to exit administration with a new management team in place, with approval by the Luxembourgian regulator and the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the principal bondholder of Lifemark.

However, the facility will have to be approved by Collard before the US bank can undertake due diligence and confirm the exact amount of the facility.

Ford said, 'This is a very substantial offer of a loan facility that will provide Lifemark with a permanent solution to its funding problems on commercially favourable terms.
 
'If the offer of a new facility is accepted, it will no longer be necessary for Lifemark to rely on expensive, short term bridging finance or for the FSCS to go back to the financial services industry and raise further levies to fund Lifemark’s future cash flow requirements.'

He added, 'Most importantly, the new facility will mean that Lifemark will no longer have to sell off prize assets from its life settlement portfolio in less than ideal circumstances in order to stave off liquidation.

'This will in turn mean that, provided the portfolio performs as expected, bondholders can expect to be repaid 100 per cent of the capital they invested in Lifemark, including a substantial ‘up front’ payment once the facility is in place.'

Ford said he would have no further role in the funding or management of Lifemark if the loan facility was approved by the administrator.

Lifemark was placed in provisional administration by Luxembourg courts in 2010, while Keydata was forced into administration by the Financial Services Authority in 2009, after the regulator declared it insolvent.

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