This week, The Wall Street Journal reported on families who lost tens of thousands of dollars in surrogacy escrow when an outlier group of bad actors misled and misused client funds. Revisiting their stories is heartbreaking. Behind every dollar lost was a couple holding onto hope, a surrogate dedicating her body and time, and a family’s dream of bringing a child into the world.
Last month, I was interviewed by Ben Foldy, the investigative journalist who wrote the WBJ piece. Unfortunately, our two-hour conversation was not reflected in the final article. What was included, and perhaps even highlighted, was a series of past actions by a small group of bad actors, whose reckless and self-serving behavior–along with their lack of ethics and professionalism–cost families time, money, and in some cases jeopardized their dreams of building a family. I appreciate Ben’s commitment to covering the corruption and malfeasance that was once more prevalent in this industry.
While those events have been widely covered in recent years, they serve as a lasting reminder of the importance of transparency, accountability, and choosing the right surrogacy escrow provider.
As a father and as the CEO of SeedTrust, I feel the weight of their pain deeply. Surrogacy is already a journey filled with courage, sacrifice, and vulnerability; no family should have to endure the added trauma of financial betrayal at the moment they need security most.
When news like this breaks, it shakes confidence across the entire community. Families, surrogates, and agencies wonder if their money is ever truly safe. And sadly, in an industry with little regulation, many providers operate without the safeguards that should be standard.
At SeedTrust, we built our company precisely to prevent these tragedies. For more than a decade, our mission has been to provide families with financial protection, so they can focus on what matters most: building their family. To date, we’ve safely and securely served more than 30,000 families and not a single client has ever lost a cent. Not a single client. Not a single cent.
How SeedTrust Keeps Families Safe
We don’t just hold money, we protect it in ways that give peace of mind to both parents and surrogates. Here’s what that means:
Over the last decade, SeedTrust has led from the front when it comes to security, transparency, accountability, and dependability. Our team prides itself on being the gold standard in surrogacy escrow. We have always operated with integrity, maintaining independent audits, robust internal controls and systems, and a $100 million-dollar bond, all with full transparency and steadfast focus on doing things the right way. We see this moment as an opportunity to reaffirm what sets us apart and to help intended parents and partners make informed, confident choices.
I also want to quantify what that means, and frankly, it comes down to five critical aspects: qualifications, governance, oversight, safeguards, and transparency. Here is how SeedTrust leads the industry in each of these areas–a reflection of our unwavering commitment to full transparency and zero surprises. We have always led from the front and we will continue to do so.
- Qualifications: SeedTrust has a team of more than 75 professionals, including attorneys, CPAs, and former bankers with deep expertise, who have successfully managed over 30,000 journeys in 10 years without a single loss. These trusted experts have a fiduciary duty to protect every dollar, every time.
- Governance: Every step we take is backed by strong checks and balances and secure systems. SeedTrust maintains robust governance, internal controls, and security protocols that align with financial industry best practices. Every dollar disbursed from SeedTrust goes through a rigorous five-step approval and audit process, securely managed through our systems to ensure full compliance.
- Oversight: We undergo both internal and independent external oversight through CPA audits to ensure accountability. The findings of these audits, as they relate to escrow funds, are made available to all clients within their online portal.
- Safeguards: Funds held by SeedTrust are protected by our industry-leading $100-million-dollar bond (crime policy) and a comprehensive insurance package that protects against fraud, theft, and cyber threats. More than 20 insurance companies specializing in financial risk underwriting backed SeedTrust with $100 million dollars in coverage, offering our clients an additional layer of peace of mind.
- Transparency: Everything we do is fully transparent to all parties involved. Our secure systems provide 24/7 access, real-time notifications, and detailed reporting. We share all bond, insurance, and audit findings directly with our clients within the portal.
You can also learn more in the detailed security section of our website.
These aren’t just numbers or financial jargon, they’re safeguards designed to ensure that a family’s dream will not be derailed by the fraud, negligence, or poor oversight of an unqualified, bad actor.
Stepping In to Help
In every case mentioned in the article, SeedTrust stepped in to help, donating more than a million dollars’ worth of pro bono services to those impacted. Why did we do this? As the leader in surrogacy escrow, many devastated families and surrogates turned to SeedTrust for answers and support. We stepped in where we could, helping transition clients into secure accounts, providing education about what to look for in a safe escrow provider, and working directly with families to restore some stability in the midst of chaos.
Our team did this not because it was good business, but because protecting families is our responsibility, whether they started with SeedTrust or not.
Looking Ahead
The families highlighted in the Wall Street Journal deserved better. Every family does. SeedTrust has consistently stood out with industry leading, best-in-class, practices, regarding transparency, accountability, and security. That said, while we are proud to be the gold standard across the surrogacy escrow industry, we realize that any instance of bad conduct–regardless of the fact that it represents a disproportionate minority of the industry writ large–will receive outsized media coverage, and as a result, will cause apprehension and distrust for readers, viewers, and most importantly, deserving people who just want to start a family of their own. That’s why SeedTrust helped draft and secure the passage of the landmark SEEDS Escrow Standards. These new, industry-wide standards–which were approved by an overwhelming majority vote–will serve to establish higher ethical and professional requirements for all companies in this field.
From the outset, surrogacy should be a journey of hope, joy, and building families. At no point, should that include the fear of losing the very funds that make that journey possible.
We will continue to serve as a trusted and reliable partner, just as we always have. We are with you every step of the way.
We are here to answer any questions or concerns you have. You deserve full transparency and peace of mind so you can focus on the most important item of all: building a family.
With empathy and resolve,
Adam Winder
President & CEO
SeedTrust Escrow
