Real Estate Finance
The real estate finance team, located throughout the firm, focuses on representing clients in all aspects of real estate financing transactions. The group typically represents financial institutions and other parties that provide capital to the real estate industry in various forms. We represent clients in transactional matters including traditional mortgage portfolio lending, construction lending, mortgage origination for commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS) conduit lending programs, mortgage loan securitizations, loan servicing and defeasance matters, mezzanine lending, real estate investment trusts and equity funds investing in real estate. We also regularly serve as agent’s counsel in syndicated real estate loan transactions.
Members of the real estate finance team also have specific experience in agency lending transactions involving Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA, mortgage banking and mortgage brokerage services and letter of credit backed construction bond transactions. The group has extensive experience in transactions involving all types of commercial real estate, including office, retail, hotel, warehouse/industrial, multifamily, condominium, resort and ground leased properties. In addition, we have represented financial institutions in builder and warehouse lines for the development of large residential real estate projects. We also regularly act as local counsel for investment banks and borrowers in major real estate finance transactions.
In addition to representing national banks in major local real estate markets, the team acts as nationwide counsel for several clients and has worked on and closed transactions in almost every jurisdiction in the United States. We have helped clients organize and maintain high-volume real estate loan programs and helped develop lending programs and loan documentation for geographical and nationwide use.
In addition to our representation of clients in real estate lending transactional matters, we represent financing institutions and other lenders in loan modifications and complex debt restructurings, loan workouts (including forbearance agreements and deeds-in-lieu), mortgage foreclosures, loan sales, liquidation of REO properties and real estate portfolio sales. We also regularly provide guidance in connection with bankruptcies, receiverships and creditors rights litigation involving real estate and counsel a variety of clients in connection with lender liability issues as well as other related matters.
In connection with representing our lender clients the group often collaborates with the firm’s real estate department to address related real estate issues such as zoning, insurance, construction contracts, leasing and environmental matters which are regularly involved in specialized real estate lending transaction. We also collaborate with our partners who have business, REMIC and REIT tax and other knowledge, when necessary.
