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<h3 class="title"><a name="#top"></a>"Columbian Life Insurance Company
- <br>
Where Are You?"<br>
</h3>
<h4 class="titlesmall">The role of COLUMBIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, Binghamton, NY and State
Board investigator, John Bresnahan, in this process.<br>
</h4>
<h4 class="titlesmall">UPDATE: July 5, 2006<br>
</h4>
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<p>On June 29, 2004, Ms. Kathy Cartmell-Sirrico, Chairperson, State Board
of Registration of Funeral Directors and Embalmers signed an Order to Show
Cause addressed to me. On June 30, 2004, Amy Riordan, Administrative Assistant
forwarded the Order to Show Cause to me. </p>
<p>The opening paragraph states and I quote: “The Board of Registration
of Funeral Directors and Embalmers <strong>has investigated</strong> the
above-referenced complaint (<em>actually three</em>) against you (all 3
filed by Katherine Mangsen, wife of Kurt Mangsen, owner of Nordgren Memorial
Chapel in Worcester, Massachusetts)”. “For the reasons set forth
in the Order to Show Cause the Division of Professional Licensure(“Division”)
is proposing to suspend, revoke, or impose other discipline against your
license as a funeral director (License #5300)”.</p>
<p>The investigator for the State Board at the time and currently, I believe,
was John Bresnahan, a former funeral director and funeral home owner in
the Pittsfield, Massachusetts area. If one were to review the Order to Show
Cause as signed by Ms. Cartmell-Sirrico, it would become abundantly clear
not only did Mr. Bresnahan NOT CONDUCT an investigation into the allegations
as made by a vicious and vindictive woman on a “witch hunt”,
but “good olde Mr. Bresnahan” was corrupted and unduly influenced
by the blasphemous statements, comments, and prejudicial remarks of a very
sick man – I refer to John J. Kazlauskas, Chairperson of the State
Board on December 9, 2003. Mr. Bresnahan, “trusted but did not verify”
any of the statements made by Mrs. Mangsen and Nordgren’s attorney,
Scott S. Sinrich – but accepted them as factual. (What is the penalty
for intentionally lying to the State Board and Commonwealth of Massachusetts
causing the expenditure of in excess of $1M in wasted taxpayer money?) Looks
to me like an episode for the “Fleecing of Massachusetts” and
where is Governor Romney? He certainly has been apprised of this matter
in correspondence I forwarded to him. Oh, that’s right, he and his
competent staff are on the campaign trail, and the workings of the Commonwealth
are being left to anyone willing to pick up the slack! </p>
<p>That said – and <em><strong>“Officially – on the record”</strong></em>,
allow me to turn to Mr. Bresnahan’s supposed investigation into the
issues that reference Columbian Life Insurance Company.</p>
<p>Columbian Life Insurance Company, Binghamton, NY was highly recommended
to me by T.P. Sampson Family Funeral Homes in Springfield and Mercadante
Funeral Home in Worcester in the Spring of 1999. Up until that time, I was
aware that families pre-planning and pre-paying funeral arrangements had
two (2) options for the investment of the pre-paid funeral monies –
trust instruments and insurance instruments. What I was unaware of up to
this point (and so informed by one of my pre-need families in February 1999)
was that if the funds were deposited with a pre-need Insurance Company and
secured by life insurance, a family would not receive a 1099 tax form each
year for the interest generated and would not be required to file tax returns
as appropriate. WOW! I didn’t know that!</p>
<p>Having this fact verified by T.P. Sampson Funeral Home and Mercadante Funeral
Home, (both funeral homes that I had respected for years and both funeral
homes that utilized the services of Columbian Life Insurance Company), I
followed up with Columbian Life Insurance Companies Regional Sales Director
and invited him to meet with me; Jack Carrigan, Treasurer, Nordgren Memorial
Chapel, and Kurt Mangsen, President, Nordgren Memorial Chapel. Mr. Carrigan
and I initially met with Mr. Klamkin (Mr. Mangsen had no interest, plus
he was having problems dealing with and being in the presence of Mr. Carrigan)
at Nordgren’s in April 1999. Mr. Carrigan knew Mr. Klamkin through
his involvement with the International Order of the Golden Rule (O.G.R.)
and was well aware of Columbian Life Insurance and its products. </p>
<p>Mr. Carrigan agreed to accepting Columbian Life Insurance Company for the
conversion of pre-need funding arrangements from trust to insurance for
any families that were agreeable to do so. Mr. Carrigan, in my presence
contacted Family Bank, spoke with Mr. Peter Armbruster, V.P. & Senior
Trust Officer/Investments to verify the procedure to have the transfer happen
for families wishing to no longer receive 1099 tax forms. With the terminology
dictated to us from Family Bank for the transfer to be acceptable to them
– the same form families would sign if they wished to restructure
the funding portion only of their pre-arranged funeral wishes, we were presented
with a “draft letter” used by other funeral homes in Massachusetts
and throughout the country for this process from Columbian Life Insurance
Company – forwarded to us by either Peter Klamkin or Mr. Kevin Moloney.
With few, if any, changes in content, but several word changes to accommodate
Mr. Carrigan’s ego; the letter went through three (3) revisions and
was approved by Columbian Life Insurance Company and Family Bank prior to
being forwarded to families with whom I had made pre-need funeral arrangements
and families that had expressed concern when receiving 1099 tax forms.</p>
<p>Approximately 35 letters were forwarded to families and approximately 27-28
approved of the transfer – with 7-8 contacting me indicating they
wished to leave the funding arrangements as they were and that receiving
the 1099 tax form was not a concern for them or their loved one.</p>
<p></p>
<p>In November 2003, the Mangsen’s complained to the State Board indicating
they were unaware of the transfer; that they never heard of Columbian Life
Insurance Company; and most important to them –<strong> <em>“They
never saw any of the commission money that would have been paid by Columbian.”</em></strong>
The Mangsen’s comments to Mr. Bresnahan and the State Board were grossly
lacking the point that Columbian Life Insurance Company had paid Nordgren
Memorial Chapel more than $100,000 from 1999 to 2003 – and yet they
were telling Mr. Bresnahan and the State Board they never heard of Columbian!
I ask you – “Where was Mr. Bresnahan in the process?”
I shall tell you very soon. Continuing…..</p>
<p>Family Bank, after reviewing the correspondence forwarded to families for
their consideration and decision to convert if they so chose; after cross
referencing the signatures of the appropriate parties with original fund
documentation and newly received transfer requests; issued checks for the
applicable families to Nordgren, Carrigan Mangsen Memorial Chapel –
checks forwarded registered mail and signed for by Ms. Betty Sander, Nordgren’s
receptionist and bookkeeper.</p>
<p>Yet, paragraph numbered 6. in the Order to Show Cause issued to me states,
<strong><em>“You allowed the above-mentioned transfers to occur without
the knowledge of your employer, Nordgren Chapel”</em></strong>. Apparently,
Mr. Carrigan, Treasurer, Nordgren Memorial Chapel, who was directly involved,
reviewed, and approved the process was not sufficient knowledge for Mr.
Bresnahan or the State Board to find there was no merit in Mrs. Mangsen’s
allegations and complaint. </p>
<p>As stated in testimony by Mr. Mangsen, President, Nordgren Memorial Chapel,
before the Presiding Officer and all others at the Administrative Hearing,
Mr. Mangsen had not seen or read the complaints filed by his wife Katherine
more than two (2) years after she filed them with the State Board; yet Mrs.
Mangsen, who assumed her role as Treasurer in mid 2002 (3 years after the
conversion) stated Nordgren’s were unaware of the conversion and Mr.
Bresnahan and the State Board bought this explanation indicating they investigated
the complaint. <strong><em>Little suspicious, wouldn’t you say?</em></strong>
</p>
<p>Four and one-half (4 ½) years after the letter (the same draft letter
originally received from Columbian Life Insurance Representatives, the same
letter approved after minor adjustments by Mr. Carrigan, the same letter
approved by Family Bank, and the same letter approved after revisions by
Columbian Life Insurance Company) was sent out to families explaining the
transfer process was reviewed by Mr. Bresnahan and determined to be misleading
by the State Board with a Summary Decision by Ms. Colleton to this fact.
<strong>Please note: </strong>At NO time did a family who received or ever
heard of the letter ever complain that they thought or found the letter
to be misleading or deceptive. At NO time did any family ever complain to
Nordgren Memorial Chapel, the State Board, or any other governmental agency
of funeral industry regulatory body. And yet, either 7 or 8 families, who
apparently did not feel mislead or deceived in any way, chose NOT to enroll
in the conversion process because the ONLY reason to do so was to eliminate
the 1099 tax from and this was not an issue for them.</p>
<p>Four and one-half years later when I re-read the letter, I could then see
how one might have had a problem with the terminology in the first sentence
of the letter that was given to us by Columbian Life Insurance Company.
It stated, <strong>“I am writing to inform you of a change in regulations
regarding funeral trust accounts and how monies are invested to fund said
agreement”</strong>. Apparently (and I would have had no knowledge
then and certainly do not have knowledge now of changes in regulations regarding
the funding of pre-need funeral arrangements) the term “change in
regulations” was not correct as stated and that pre-funded funeral
arrangements through insurance - eliminating the 1099 tax form had been
in place for years – of which I was unaware of. My attorneys at the
time found a change in the regulations related to this issue in the IRS
regulations, but apparently did not contact Columbian Life Insurance Company
to verify the specific change referenced in their correspondence in the
letter presented to us.</p>
<p>Had it not been for the Chairman of the State Board, John J. Kazlauskas,
attacking my character and integrity without me being present and making
a major incident over the letter on December 9, 2003 as he stated, <strong><em>“This
letter, if you read it carefully, this has really gone right up my nose
and it’s done it badly”</em></strong>, this concern could have
been resolved had Mr. Bresnahan and the State Board in its investigation
that was lacking from its inception contacted Columbian Life Insurance Company
and Mr. Klamkin, who by now was Vice President of Pre-Need for Columbian.
But no! Let’s just jump to conclusions, make rash and hasty assumptions
and conclusions, and let’s go for some sort of conviction.</p>
<p>Continuing on with Columbian Life Insurance Company since the conversion
funds were received by Nordgren Carrigan Mangsen Memorial Chapel from Family
Bank; in the next update I will address the issue of the completion of the
transaction and process up till November 19, 2003. Be sure to stay tuned!</p>
<p><strong>Next update – July 13, 2006 - Continuation</strong></p>
<p><em>“Columbian Life Insurance Company” - Where Are You?”<br>
The role of COLUMBIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, Binghamton, NY and State Board
investigator, John Bresnahan, in this process.<br>
</em> </p>
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