LACONIA – The sudden closure of a Meredith mortgage company last week is now the subject of a criminal probe by the FBI, the state attorney general said last night.

The announcement comes as a growing number of investors have stepped forward to demand restitution. Those who claim to have lost money as a result of their dealings with the company include a Gilford family seeking $4 million and a group of investors who say they are entitled to $1.2 million.

"It's very sad. It looks like there are a lot of people out a lot of money," said Concord attorney Adam Rick. He filed a case yesterday on behalf of Lee Daley, a Florida investor who claimed a loss of $200,000.

To date, a half-dozen civil lawsuits have been filed in Belknap County Superior Court against defunct Meredith firm Financial Resources Mortgage Inc. The company closed its doors last Monday, as did two other businesses sharing its Northview Drive address.

Belknap County Superior Court Judge Kathleen McGuire is scheduled to meet with a growing list of plaintiffs Dec. 4 at 1:30 p.m.

Yesterday, the state Banking Department issued a cease-and-desist order against one of the three companies, CL&M Inc., and its owner, Donald E. Dodge. The department alleges CL&M, also known as Commercial Project Loan Servicing, is an unregistered mortgage servicing company.

A similar order was issued Friday against Financial Resources Mortgage.

State authorities have previously said they are actively reviewing all complaints against the firm. Last night, Attorney General Michael Delaney confirmed the criminal investigation has expanded beyond New Hampshire, as self-described victims continue to spring up across the country.

Lawyers for two groups of investors won a temporary order Friday in Belknap Superior Court to protect their assets. William E. Christie, of the Shaheen & Gordon law firm in Concord, said he plans to amend the complaint to include several other investment groups.

The court has authorized Shaheen & Gordon to gather more information regarding investors' assets by issuing subpoenas and taking depositions.

Investors throughout the country said they were given no warning when the firm shut down last week, leaving them to wonder where their money went. Many said they had given the company hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years and had been receiving rates of return averaging 13 percent.

Harry Bean, of Gilford, filed a suit valued at $4 million, claiming his family invested more than that while maintaining a close business relationship with the firm.

Signs of trouble came Nov. 8, when Bean said he received a call "out of the blue" from Dodge that informed him that "no further payments" would be forthcoming on the family's investments and that "money was missing," according to the court filing.

Another suit filed by Martha L. Mason and Dierdre M. Ritchie, of Laconia, is valued at $450,000. The suit says a member of Ritche's family invested money after receiving calls from Dodge, only to find, after numerous attempts to contact the company, that its doors had been locked.

A sign on the door says the mortgage company and CL&M have been closed due to "unforeseen circumstances," adding that "information will follow as soon as possible."

The closure resulted in the loss of roughly 30 jobs. Friends of former employees said the workers, after getting their checks, received e-mails saying the company was closing.

Mark Givens, of Bridgewater, said a friend told him the offices had been trashed.

Financial Resources Mortgage Inc. President Scott Farah, of 35 Hatch Corner Road, Meredith, has not returned calls for comment, nor has his attorney, Michael Ramsdell, responded to recent court filings.

Yesterday, the state attorney general declined to say if authorities know the whereabouts of the companies' principals.

At the Belknap County Registry of Deeds, there were at least seven attachments filed in the case yesterday.

The New Hampshire Banking Commission can be reached at 603-271-3561 or toll free at 1-800-437-5991.

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Write to New Hampshire Union Leader Business Reporter Denis Paiste at dpaiste@unionleader.com.