Structured Settlement Cashouts Under Attack

Raymond White, who was homeless in New York City for six years as a result of a subway accident, turned his life around after receiving a structured claims settlement. The settlement provided Mr. White with monthly payments of $1,100 a month and an annual 3 percent increase to account for inflation. However, after Mr. White made a deal to transfer the authority of his monthly settlement check to an advanced-funding company, JG Wentworth, in exchange for a lump sum amount, he lost all of his money. Specifically, Mr. White sold portions of his monthly payments to Philadelphia-based JG Wentworth for the next 15 years over several transactions, according to Randy Dyer, executive director of the National Structured Settlements Trade Association in Vienna, Va.