With the evolution of the life settlement industry in the United States, providers have become in many instances intermediaries between non-U.S. investors (or however investors not having a provider license) and the sellers. The stratification of intermediaries (providers and brokers) in a market that's private and illiquid, along with the substantial lack of transparency in the price-fixing process are items requiring attention from investors - a variety of incorrect behaviours may be put in place by sell-side agents, including pump and dump-like attitudes, life expectancy report shopping (to show buyers only those with shorter life expectancies implying higher present value of the policy), pulling of unfavourable medical records (to induce life expectancy underwriters to underwrite shorter life expectancies, again implying higher present value of the policy), faking high bids to inflate prices in auctions, etc.