Ashley Woodard: Investor Complaints Against Ex-NYLife Broker

Investor complaints against former Greenville, South Carolina broker Ashley Woodard (CRD# 4703144) allege he recommended unsuitable and risky investments that resulted in losses as high as $5 million. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) records show that Woodard is currently not registered as a broker or investment adviser, but he was most recently registered in NYLife’s Greenville, South Carolina branch office.

Ashley Woodard’s FINRA-maintained BrokerCheck report lists seven pending customer complaints and seven settled customer complaints against him. The most recently settled complaint, filed in July 2020, alleged that as a representative of Voya Financial Advisors, Ashley Woodard recommended the customers invest “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in unsuitable private placements. The complaint reached a settlement in 2021 of $152,500.

A complaint filed in March 2021 alleges that as a representative of Voya Financial Advisors, Ashley Woodard made unsuitable investment recommendations of illiquid and risky alternative products. The pending complaint alleges damages of $500,000.

Another complaint filed in March 2021 alleges Ashley Woodard recommended unsuitable alternative products while at Voya Financial. The pending complaint alleges damages of $500,000.

A complaint filed in 2020 alleges he recommended risky and unsuitable investments in unit investment trust products, variable annuity securities, and real estate securities. The pending complaint alleges damages of $5 million.

A complaint filed in 2019 alleged that as a Voya rep, Ashley Woodard recommended unsuitable and illiquid alternative investments. The complaint reached a settlement in 2020 of $575,000.

A complaint filed in 2019 alleged that while at Voya Financial, he recommended unsuitable direct investments and real estate securities. The complaint reached a settlement of $750,000.

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) show that Ashley Woodard is not registered as a broker of investment adviser. His prior registrations include NYLife Securities in Greenville, South Carolina; IFS Securities in Greenville, South Carolina; Voya Financial Advisors in Greenville, South Carolina; Capital Investment Group in Greer, South Carolina; Brookstone Securities in Greer, South Carolina; New England Securities in Greenville, South Carolina; CUNA Brokerage Services in Irmo, South Carolina; New England Securities in New York, New York; IDS Life Insurance Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Ameriprise Financial Services in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has passed four securities industry qualifying examinations: the Uniform Combined State Law Examination, or Series 66; the Securities Industry Essentials Examination, or SIE; the General Securities Representative Examination, or Series 7; and the General Securities Principal Examination, or Series 24. He currently holds no state securities licenses. (Information current as of June 11, 2021.)