J.G. Wentworth
The J.G. Wentworth Company is a financial services company that sells mortgages, refinancing, structured settlements, annuities, lottery payment purchasing, home lending, and debt settlements.[3][4] The firm is currently traded publicly on the OTCQX (symbol: JGWE).[5]
Public | |
Traded as | OTCQX: JGWEQ |
Industry | Finance |
Founded | 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] |
Services | Buys Structured Settlement payments · Fixed Annuities · Lottery Winnings · Lawsuit Advance |
Website | www |
In the United States, the company is known for its television advertisements featuring "Mr. Wentworth",[6] but more recent commercials have included Wagnerian opera singers.[7]
History
J.G. Wentworth was founded in 1991 as a merchant bank specializing in transactions in the healthcare industry.[8][9] 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.[10]
Prior to 1999 there was no regulation for structured settlements in the state of New York. Eliot Spitzer entered into a contract with J.G. Wentworth to help protect New Yorkers from selling their settlements at exorbitant rates. 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.[11] 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.[12]
In May 2009, following the financial crisis, J.G. Wentworth's parent company, JGW Holdco LLC, entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company cited "liquidity problems amid a tightening credit market" as the catalyst for filing.[4] 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 Peachtree Financial Solutions, which also purchased structured settlement, annuity, and lottery payments, 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,[8][9] 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 forty-four million dollars 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.[5]
On November 8, 2017, J.G. Wentworth filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in nine years.[19] 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.[20][21]
In January 2020, J.G. Wentworth has revealed its formal launch because the latest company is Stratus Support. Stratus Capital, which will serve as a wholly owned J.G. subsidiary Wentworth, leverages its 25 years of business expertise to further provide customers with funding solutions.[22]
Commercials and awards
The company is best known for its American daytime television commercials featuring the character of "Mr. Wentworth". More recent series feature Wagnerian opera singers.[23] Taglines include "It's my money and I need it now!" and "It's your money; use it when you need it!"
JGW 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, JG Wentworth is pleased to report 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 two brands owned by J.G. Wentworth are J.G. Wentworth and Peachtree.
Additional brands and subsidiaries include:[28][29]
- J.G. Wentworth, LLC
- Peachtree Financial Solutions
- Peachtree Life Settlements, LLC
- J.G. Wentworth Home Equity Services, LLC
- Orchard Acquisition Company, LLC
- J.G. Wentworth Structured Settlement Funding II, LLC
- PeachHI, LLC
- J.G. Wentworth SSC, LP
- Red Apple Management Company, LLC
- Golden Apple Management Company, LLC
- J.G. Wentworth Management Company, LLC
- J.G. Wentworth Originations, LLC
- Green Apple Management Company, LLC
- Qualified Provider Associates, LLC
- JGW Pre-Settlement Funding, LLC
- Cash Now Loans, LLC
- J.G. Wentworth Receivables II, LLC
- Peachtree Originations, LLC
- Lottery Originations, LLC
- Settlement Funding Management Company, LLC
- Peach Holdings, LLC
- Receivables Collections, LLC
- JGW II, LLC
- JGW III, LLC
- JGW-S LC I, LLC
- JGW-S LC II, LLC
- JGW-S Holdco, LLC
- LCSS, LLC
- JGW-S I, LLC
- JGW-S II, LLC
- JGW-S III, LLC
- R.C. Henderson, LLC
- 321 Henderson Receivables Acquisition, LLC
- JGW Residual I, LLC
- JGW-S IV, LLC
References
- "The J.G. Wentworth Company Names Randi Sellari Chief Executive Officer". Business Wire. 2018-04-27. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
- "About Our Company". The J. G. Wentworth Company. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
- "THE J.G. WENTWORTH COMPANY® ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF NATIONAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT J.G. WENTWORTH HOME LENDING™". corporate.jgwentworth.com. Retrieved 2015-08-17.
- Chasan, Emily (2009-05-19). "UPDATE 1-J.G. Wentworth files prepackaged bankruptcy | Reuters". In.reuters.com. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- "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.
- Beaver, Dennis (2011-03-12). "You and the Law: Have a structured settlement, but need cash now?". Hanfordsentinel.com. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- 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.
- "JGWPT: Private Company Information - Businessweek". Investing.businessweek.com. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- "IPO Filings". Ipo.nasdaq.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- "Office of the Governor | Newsroom". State.nj.us. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2010-05-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- NEIL MacFARQUHARPublished: July 30, 1999 (1999-07-30). "Accord Is Reached on Trades Of Cash for Lawsuit Proceeds - New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- "J.G. Wentworth Receives $100 Million in New Equity; Business Wire". www.businesswire.com. 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
- "J.G. Wentworth and Peachtree Financial Solutions Seal Deal; PRNewswire". www.prnewswire.com. 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
- 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.
- Nemeroff, Evan. "WestStar Mortgage Bought by J.G. Wentworth for $54M; National Mortgage News". www.nationalmortgagenews.com. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
- 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.
- "Yahoo Finance - Business Finance, Stock Market, Quotes, News". biz.yahoo.com. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
- 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.
- "Current Report Filing (8-k)". Investors Hub. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
- "The J.G. Wentworth Company Announces Consensual Restructuring Agreement with Lenders to Significantly Reduce its Debt and Fortify its Balance Sheet". Retrieved 26 October 2018.
- "J.G. Wentworth announces the official launch of its new Stratus Funding brand". Cision PR Newswire. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- "J.G. Wentworth's Direct Response Aria". Response Magazine. 2008-08-01. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- "J.G. Wentworth Launches New Television Commercial". Business Wire. 2010-03-16. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- "J.G. Wentworth "Opera" Commercial Wins Two More International Advertising Awards". Business Wire. 2009-05-13. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- "J.G. Wentworth Gets Animated In New Ad Campaign". SHOOTonline. 2011-02-21. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- "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.
- "Paymaster: J.G. Info Page". Archived from the original on 2016-06-01.
- "SEC: JGWPT HOLDINGS INC".