Texas places prepaid burial businesses into receivership
By Jerri Stroud
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
The Texas Department of Insurance has placed National Prearranged Services Inc. of Clayton and two affiliated insurance companies in receivership, the department said Friday.
National Prearranged Services sold more than 120,000 prepaid funeral contracts to consumers in as many as 17 states. It bought insurance policies to back the contracts from two insurance companies, Lincoln Memorial Life Insurance Co. and Memorial Services Life Insurance Co., both of Austin, Texas.
NPS and the two insurers are owned by a trust for the Cassity family, including brothers Brent and Tyler Cassity. The trust also owns Clayton-based Forever Enterprises Inc., which operates cemeteries in Missouri and California.
Texas had placed NPS and the insurance companies under supervision in October. Earlier this year, the companies agreed to stop selling the contracts, and in April an independent manager was appointed for the three companies.
A Texas court Wednesday issued a permanent injunction restraining the companies and their agents from conducting business and restraining other parties from taking actions against the companies’ properties.
Texas is expected to appoint a special deputy receiver who will supervise the companies and attempt to reorganize them. The receiver will pay claims and conduct the companies’ business.
In a press release, the Texas insurance department advised consumers to continue to make premium payments on any insurance policies with the companies to make sure the policies stay in force. Claimants also should continue submitting claims, the department said.