J.G. Wentworth

Last updated
The J.G. Wentworth Company
Industry Finance
Founded1991;33 years ago (1991)
Headquarters Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Area served
United States
Key people
Randi Sellari (CEO, Specialty Finance) [1]
Dwight Perry (CFO) [2]
Randy Parker (COO) [2]
ServicesDebt Relief, Payment Purchasing: structured settlements  · Annuities  · Lottery and Casino Winnings  · Lawsuit Advance
Website www.jgwentworth.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The J.G. Wentworth Company is an American financial services company that purchases structured settlements, annuities, and lottery payments in exchange for a lump-sum cash settlement. They also offer debt counseling and negotiation services. [3]

Contents

The company is known for its television advertisements featuring "Mr. Wentworth", [4] and a series featuring performances of a lengthy jingle performed in several styles, including Wagnerian opera singers. [5]

History

J.G. Wentworth was formed by James D. Delaney and Gary Veloric in 1991 as a merchant bank specializing in transactions in the healthcare industry. [6] [7] In 1992, the company began to purchase New Jersey auto insurance deferrals from claimants who could not afford to wait twelve to eighteen months for their settlements. [8] According to Consumer Reports , as of 2010 J.G. Wentworth customers paid an "effective discount rate" amounting to "9 percent to 15 percent or more"; i.e., customers give up 9-15% of their future payments in exchange for a present-day cash amount. Though this might be considered a high fee, Consumer Reports says it could be preferable to surrender fees for annuities or other alternatives. [9]

Prior to 1999 there was no regulation for structured settlements in the state of New York. Eliot Spitzer, then New York's state Attorney General, entered into a contract with J.G. Wentworth to regulate the industry and limit fees. The agreement stipulated that J.G. Wentworth could receive a rate of no more than twenty-five percent of the annual discount rate of annuities it had purchased from citizens of the state of New York. [10] At the time, a JGW executive told the New York Times that the firm sought the agreement because of the rate at which its business had grown. [11]

In May 2009, J.G. Wentworth's parent company, JGW Holdco LLC, entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection partly as a consequence of the financial crisis of 2007-08. The company cited "liquidity problems amid a tightening credit market" as the catalyst for filing. [12] In June 2009, JGW Holdco LLC received one hundred million dollars in equity from primary stakeholder JLL Partners, which allowed the company and its subsidiaries to emerge from bankruptcy. [13]

In 2011, J.G. Wentworth and similar business Peachtree Financial Solutions, formed a new holding company, JGWPT Holdings LLC. The two companies continued to operate independently after the transition. [14]

In October 2013, the firm filed for an initial public offering, [6] [7] which was offered the subsequent month. The company was initially listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol JGWE. [15]

In 2015, J.G. Wentworth expanded their financial offerings with the purchase of WestStar Mortgage for US$44 million in common shares and cash. [16] In the same year, the company announced a partnership with Visa to offer a prepaid card to customers. [17]

In June 2016, J.G. Wentworth was delisted from the NYSE for failing to satisfy the continued listing rule. [18] Later that month, the company began trading on the OTC Markets Group under the symbol JGWE. [19]

On November 8, 2017, J.G. Wentworth filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in nine years. [20] JGWE stock plummeted as much as eighty-seven percent on 10 November 2017. The company was expected to emerge from bankruptcy in or around January 2018 after coming to an agreement with lenders prior to filing. [21] [22]

Commercials and awards

The company is best known for its American daytime television commercials featuring the character of "Mr. Wentworth"

JG Wentworth first appeared in the opera commercial in 2002. The commercial played from 2002 to 2007 until the launch of the new campaign in 2008.[ citation needed ] More recent series feature Wagnerian opera singers performing the company's jingle. [23] Taglines include "It's my money and I need it now!" and "It's your money; use it when you need it!"

J.G. Wentworth has won several domestic and international awards for its television advertising, including a silver Davey award. [24] The "Wagnerian Opera" commercial won two International Summit Awards for Best Humor and Best TV between US$75k and US$100k. [25] [26]

In 2019, J.G. Wentworth reported that it was named in the category of IES Premier Sales Employer by The Institute for Excellence in Sales (IES). [27]

J.G. Wentworth brands and subsidiaries

J.G. Wentworth owns and operates under a number of brands. The main three brands owned by J.G. Wentworth are J.G. Wentworth,Peachtree and Stone Street Capital.

Additional brands and subsidiaries include: [28] [29]

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References

  1. ↑ "The J.G. Wentworth Company Names Randi Sellari Chief Executive Officer". Business Wire. 2018-04-27. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  2. 1 2 "About Our Company". The J. G. Wentworth Company. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  3. ↑ "J.G. Wentworth". corporate.jgwentworth.com. Retrieved 2015-08-17.
  4. ↑ Beaver, Dennis (2011-03-12). "You and the Law: Have a structured settlement, but need cash now?". Hanford Sentinel . Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  5. ↑ Hage, Jeff (2011-06-30). "It's hard to shake a good jingle". Princeton Union-Eagle. Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  6. 1 2 "JGWPT: Private Company Information - Businessweek". Investing.businessweek.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  7. 1 2 "IPO Filings". Ipo.nasdaq.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  8. ↑ "Office of the Governor | Newsroom". State.nj.us. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  9. ↑ "Is J.G. Wentworth's offer really worth it? - Consumer Reports".
  10. ↑ "Spitzer Announces First-Of-Its-Kind Agreement to Protect Consumers Who Win, and then Sell, Personal Injury Settlements". Archived from the original on 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
  11. ↑ NEIL MacFARQUHARPublished: July 30, 1999 (1999-07-30). "Accord Is Reached on Trades Of Cash for Lawsuit Proceeds - New York Times". The New York Times . Retrieved 2012-06-02.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Chasan, Emily (2009-05-19). "UPDATE 1-J.G. Wentworth files prepackaged bankruptcy | Reuters". In.reuters.com. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  13. ↑ "J.G. Wentworth Receives $100 Million in New Equity; Business Wire". www.businesswire.com. 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  14. ↑ "J.G. Wentworth and Peachtree Financial Solutions Seal Deal; PRNewswire". www.prnewswire.com. 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  15. ↑ Alnwick, Julie (2013-10-07). "J.G. Wentworth Operator Files to Raise $200 Million U.S. IPO; Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  16. ↑ Nemeroff, Evan. "WestStar Mortgage Bought by J.G. Wentworth for $54M; National Mortgage News". www.nationalmortgagenews.com. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  17. ↑ Scism, Leslie (2015-03-10). "With latest deal, J.G. Wentworth has more to sell when customers call". blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  18. ↑ "Yahoo Finance - Business Finance, Stock Market, Quotes, News". biz.yahoo.com. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  19. ↑ "The J.G. Wentworth Company® To Begin Trading On The OTCQX Market Under The Ticker Symbol "JGWE"". finance.yahoo.com. 2016-06-17. Archived from the original on 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  20. ↑ Blumenthal, Jeff (2017-11-10). "For second time in 9 years, publicly traded financial services firm files for bankruptcy". Philadelphia Business Journal . Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  21. ↑ "Current Report Filing (8-k)". Investors Hub. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  22. ↑ "The J.G. Wentworth Company Announces Consensual Restructuring Agreement with Lenders to Significantly Reduce its Debt and Fortify its Balance Sheet" (Press release). 9 November 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  23. ↑ "J.G. Wentworth's Direct Response Aria". Response Magazine. 2008-08-01. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  24. ↑ "J.G. Wentworth Launches New Television Commercial". Business Wire. 2010-03-16. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  25. ↑ "J.G. Wentworth "Opera" Commercial Wins Two More International Advertising Awards". Business Wire. 2009-05-13. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  26. ↑ "J.G. Wentworth Gets Animated In New Ad Campaign". SHOOTonline. 2011-02-21. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  27. ↑ "J.G. Wentworth honored as a Premier Sales Employer in the First-Ever Premier Sales Employers Guide". Cision PR Newswire. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  28. ↑ "Paymaster: J.G. Info Page". Archived from the original on 2016-06-01.
  29. ↑ "SEC: JGWPT HOLDINGS INC".
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