All Releases

Woodbridge Group of Companies’, aka Woodbridge Wealth, Declares Bankruptcy

December 4, 2017 | Silver Law Group

Sherman Oaks, California-based Woodbridge Group of Companies (“Woodbridge Group”) filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy amidst a Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) investigation. Woodbridge Group cited costs of expansion, litigation and a government fraud investigation as some of the reasons for filing for bankruptcy protection.

According to court papers, Woodbridge Group raised $226 million from over 1,500 investors and owes approximately $750 million to an estimated 8,998 noteholders. In a Woodbridge Group press release, the company stated that the chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding will be a debt recapitalization.

Woodbridge Group’s bankruptcy filing comes in light of what appears to be a rather contentious SEC investigation that has been going on for over a year. The SEC investigation concerns potential fraudulent sales of securities, according to court documents. The SEC has not brought any formal charges against Woodbridge Group yet.

Woodbridge Wealth Securities Attorney

December 4, 2017 | Silver Law Group

Woodbridge Wealth Securities Attorney

The SEC has an important purpose within the United States financial markets and that purpose is to regulate a fair and transparent economy. The SEC regularly looks into allegations of fraud within financial institutions to ensure that the interests of investors are protected. When the SEC decides to launch an investigation, the process is exhaustive; however, it is necessary to uncover whether that particular financial entity has in fact committed fraud. Recently, the SEC has decided to investigated Woodbridge Wealth and their affiliate group of companies.

Important Information Regarding Woodbridge Wealth

Woodbridge Wealth and Woodbridge Group Victims

December 4, 2017 | Silver Law Group

As a prospective investor, it is important that you are regularly researching the nature of both the transactions and investment firms that you are investing with. The reason for this is that there are many opportunities to lose a substantial amount of investment capital by investing with firms that are not complying with SEC regulations within the United States.

This is precisely why it is best to be well-informed about each and every investment trade that you are putting your capital towards. This way, you can avoid being subject to investment fraud. That said, it is important to be aware of which firms are undergoing investigations by the SEC.

Background on Woodbridge Wealth

Woodbridge Wealth and Woodbridge Group Losses

December 4, 2017 | Silver Law Group

Woodbridge Wealth Losses

There are many different investment opportunities out there on the market regarding securities both registered and unregistered. Where this market gets quite complex is when investors are not provided with the proper information to make a sound decision on their investment.

Due to the complexity of these transactions, there is an opportunity for an investment firm to take advantage of investors that do not have a strong awareness of the financial sector and, as a result, engineer hidden clauses with opportunities to make additional profits through excessive fee charging.

Woodbridge Wealth Investment Fraud Lawyers

December 4, 2017 | Silver Law Group

Recently, there has been a great deal of intrigue regarding Woodbridge Wealth and their affiliated limited liability companies in terms of their potential involvement in allegations of fraud, trading of unregistered securities, and permission of transactions with unlicensed brokers while simultaneously raising more than $1 billion in capital from investors.

Due to these suspicions and the substantial amount of capital involved, the SEC has decided to formally investigate Woodbridge Wealth and their affiliates. If you have invested with Woodbridge Wealth or one of its affiliates, it is important that you carefully review the details of your investment and stay informed regarding their pending investigation.

Important Information Regarding Woodbridge Wealth

Woodbridge Wealth’s Potential Fraud

December 4, 2017 | Silver Law Group

SEC regulations are intended to provide investors with a framework of full disclosure of risks and anti-fraud provisions. That said, there are still investment schemes that are not following the protective measures as set out by the SEC.

For this reason, it is important to carefully consider what company you will be investing with and verify the reputation of that company before moving forward with signing the contracts. From time to time there are companies that the SEC scrutinizes to ensure that they are in fact complying with its regulations regarding the trading of securities.

Woodbridge Wealth is currently one of those companies in which the SEC is investigating.

What the SEC Says About Woodbridge Wealth

December 4, 2017 | Silver Law Group

The SEC handles the protection of fostering transparent and competitive markets that are financially sound. In order to achieve this, the SEC issues regular fraud warnings regarding certain types of financial instruments in order to protect consumers and brokers. The SEC’s recommendations can be used as a useful tool to protect both your present and future investment opportunities.

The SEC recommends caution when it comes to the trading of unregulated securities, particularly when they are presented to consumers in the form of mortgages that promise a high yield of returns.

One such firm that is undergoing an investigation by the SEC is Woodbridge Wealth. Investors that have invested with any of their affiliates should review their investment agreements and get a second opinion by an experienced securities attorney.

Woodbridge Wealth and Woodbridge Group of Companies SEC Investigation

December 4, 2017 | Silver Law Group

Within the United States there has been a severe crack down on the trading of securities since the sub-prime mortgage crisis in 2008. The reason for this is that there was far too little regulation on how securities are traded and whether investors were receiving full disclosure on the nature and risks of what they were investing in.

In recent years, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has instituted reforms in cooperation with many government agencies with the objectives of making a unified and fair market within the United States that protects American consumers.

While this market has improved substantially since 2008, there are still instances where companies are investigated by the SEC in order to ascertain whether they are in fact complying with SEC regulations.

FINRA Suspends Registered Individuals for Violations of FINRA Rules in July 2017

November 29, 2017 | Silver Law Group

According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for July 2017, the following individuals were suspended from FINRA and cannot currently work for a FINRA brokerage firm for failing to provide FINRA with information it requested or to keep information current with FINRA pursuant to FINRA rules:

NAME	FORMER EMPLOYERS
Kellye C. Allison	State Farm VP Management Corp.
Timothy David Ballard	Securities America, Inc.
Timothy David Ballard	National Planning Corporation
Damani A. Barham	Morgan Stanley
Damani A. Barham	TD Ameritrade, Inc.
Kelley Macon Barham, Jr.
Charles A. Black	Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation
Jason Harry Buchanan	Morgan Stanley
Jason Harry Buchanan	Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Alexi Nahun Bustamante	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Alexi Nahun Bustamante	Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
Donald William Chupp	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Donald William Chupp	Chase Investment Services Corp.
Salvatore Joseph Cipriano	Pruco Securities, LLC
Salvatore Joseph Cipriano	Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd.
Darnell Anthony Deans	Blackbook Capital, LLC
Darnell Anthony Deans	John Carris Investments LLC
Lee Edward Farmer	Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
Lee Edward Farmer	A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc.
Joshua Adam Frederico
Kristopher A. Galicia Rodriguez	NYLife Securities LLC
Kevin Grewal	Keystone Capital Corporation
Fawad Hasan	Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC
Derrick Franklin Howard	Allstate Financial Services, LLC
James Thomas Jurewicz	T3 Trading Group, LLC
James Thomas Jurewicz	Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc.
Molly M. Jury	Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith inc.
Ronald Frances Konchalski	Farmers Financial Solutions, LLC
Ronald Frances Konchalski	Allstate Financial Services, LLC
Douglas Anthony Leone	Salomon Whitney Financial
Douglas Anthony Leone	Newport Coast Securities, Inc.
Robert Kenneth Lindell	Richfield Orion International, Inc.
Robert Kenneth Lindell	Revere Securities Corp.
Christian A. Paul	Worth Financial Group Inc.
Christian A. Paul	Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc.
Craig Allan Price	Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.
Craig Allan Price	Edward Jones
Gregory David Pryce	Invest Financial Corporation
Gregory David Pryce	TFS Securities, Inc.
Ernest Julius Romer III	Corecap Investments, Inc.
Ernest Julius Romer III	Windsor Sheffield
Paul Edward Seaward	Foresters Financial Services, Inc.
Paul Edward Seaward	First Investors Corporation
Mark Eliot Silverman	MML Investors Services, LLC
Mark Eliot Silverman	Park Avenue Securities LLC
Jason Soricelli
Brian Eugene Sturges	P.J. Robb Variable Corporation
Brian Eugene Sturges	Financial Telesis Inc.
Jordan Robert Tait	Farmers Financial Solutions, LLC
Bethany Chanel Thompson	Foresters Financial Services, Inc.
Christopher John Tiernan	Farmers Financial Solutions, LLC
Juan Ramon Uriarte Jr.	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Rosa Alicia Vazquez	Integrity Brokerage Services, Inc.
Rosa Alicia Vazquez	White Pacific Securities, Inc.
Hung Quoc Vu	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Hung Quoc Vu	Chase Investment Services Corp.
Julie Ann Wells
Becky Woo	Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Becky Woo	HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.

Silver Law Group represents investors in securities and investment fraud cases through FINRA arbitration or court. Our lawyers are admitted to practice in New York and Florida and represent investors nationwide in securities arbitration to help recover investment losses due to stockbroker misconduct. If you have any questions about how your account has been handled, call to speak with an experienced securities attorney. Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis meaning that you do not pay legal fees unless we are successful.

Woodbridge Wealth is Not Registered with the SEC or FINRA

November 28, 2017 | Silver Law Group

Woodbridge Wealth promotes itself as a division of Woodbridge Group of Companies and advertises as a company with a focus on “wealth creation” claiming “Woodbridge Wealth is among the most innovative financial companies in the U.S. From its base in Sherman Oaks, California, it helps countless clients realize strong returns with lower-risk products without the burden of long-term commitments.”

The promise of lower-risk investments with strong returns has helped Woodbridge Wealth and its related companies raise over $1 billion from investors nationwide. However, recent SEC filings and other state action have raised concerns that Woodbridge Wealth may have violated the federal securities laws by selling unregistered securities or violating the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws.

SEC Filings Concerning Woodbridge Wealth