Record Oil Industry Bankruptcies Take a Toll on Investors

Reuters reports that bankruptcies in the U.S. oil industry have reached record levels.  The number of bankrupt oil and gas companies is 59 and counting, and we are not even half-way through the wave of bankruptcy filings, according to a Reuters article entitled U.S. oil industry bankruptcy wave nears size of telecom bust.  As the article’s title indicates, the number of oil and gas bankruptcies is closing in on the 68 bankruptcy filings by telecom companies during the 2002-2003 telecom bust.

Given in the sustained low interest rate environment, many income-oriented investors have been steered by their investment advisors into oil and gas investments and other alternative or non-conventional investments.  However, non-traded investments like oil and gas limited partnerships are among the most speculative, high-risk investments available.  The category of oil and gas investments is one of the “Top Investor Threats” identified by the North American Securities Administrators Association (“NASAA”), which is the organization of state securities regulators.  They are often sold to investors by brokers and brokerage firms because of the high sales commissions paid to such brokers.

Please call us if you have questions about your oil and gas investments or other investments.  We offer a free initial consultation.  If based on that consultation we feel that further review is needed, we will analyze your situation and provide a recommendation on whether and how to proceed at no charge to you.  Cases are typically handled on a contingent fee basis – i.e., the attorney’s fee is a percentage of any amount we recover on your behalf.