Pre-settlement lender Ask Funding has given up on its attempt to sell its loan book and is likely to go into run-off.The company has been in trouble since it reported a loss for the December half. It also breached an obligation under its senior syndicated debt facility, and its auditor, KPMG, said there was uncertainty about the company's ability to continue as a going concern.Ask was in the business of providing finance to people making personal injury or other legal claims, including matrimonial and inheritance settlement claims. In August, Ask announced that it had an exclusive agreement with Deutsche Bank, which was conducting due diligence in respect of Ask's disbursement funding loan book.But, on Friday, the company said it had terminated the exclusivity period because of the failure of Deutsche Bank to complete the due diligence and enter into a binding agreement within a reasonable timeframe.Ask's announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange said: "Accordingly, the board is now recommending to shareholders that all of the company's loan books be placed into run-off and the company's shares removed from the ASX Official List."