Page 9 - Katten 2016 Annual Review

STRUCTURED FINANCE AND SECURITIZATION HIGHLIGHTS CHAMBERS GLOBAL 2016:
CAPITAL MARKETS:
For the last four years in a row, we were recognized as being one of the five busiest SECURITISATION (USA)
practices in the United States representing issuers of asset-backed
and mortgage-backed securities.* We were ranked as the number three and CHAMBERS USA 2016: REAL
ESTATE (NATIONWIDE, ILLINOIS)
number two issuer counsel for the second half and the first half of 2016, respectively.
CHAMBERS USA 2016:
We represent the benchmark issuers in the two largest US asset BANKING & FINANCE
classes, Fannie Mae in mortgage and Ford Motor Credit in auto. We take the (NATIONWIDE, ILLINOIS)

responsibilities of representing benchmark issuers seriously; our clients’ documen-
tation and structures are often at the cutting edge of the market with our advice to
them playing a role in framing the direction and scope of the market.

The addition of Joshua Yablonski, who has worked on more than a hundred
commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) and related trans-
actions throughout the last 15 years with an aggregate value in excess
of $100 billion, rounds out the securitized asset classes with which our team has

deep experience and that complements our Real Estate Finance practice.

COMMERCIAL FINANCE HIGHLIGHTS REAL ESTATE FINANCE HIGHLIGHTS

Continued attractive interest rates and the high volume In one of 2016’s largest real estate deals, our Real Estate
of private equity deals in the marketplace kept lending
Finance team represented AIG in the financing for
volumes high and extremely competitive, with our team the $1.65 billion purchase of 1285 Sixth Avenue in
handling in excess of 300 debt financing transactions New York.
last year, representing banks, finance companies, joint
We helped our lender clients close hundreds of commercial
venturers, fund and other debt investors and borrowers. loans intended for securitization ahead of the December

Partner Kristopher Ring joined our established West Coast 2016 risk retention rules deadline and are currently
team in order to spearhead the expansion of our borrower-
side debt practice. assisting the same clients conform with these new rules
that require at least one sponsor retain a 5% interest in the
The influx of private equity capital into health credit risk of the securitized assets.
care-related business in 2016 resulted in continued
In 2016, by combining our real estate finance and joint
cross-pollination of Katten’s Finance, Private Equity and venture capabilities, we helped a number of owners and
Health Care practices, including in connection with physician
and dental practice management companies, durable medical tenants use credit tenant lease transactions to acquire
equipment manufacturers and distributors, and health care
IT service companies, while representing major players in and finance the construction of headquarters and other
the health care finance community. critical facilities while assuming less debt on the balance
sheets of the tenants.
We formalized a Restaurant and Franchise Finance practice
subgroup under the Commercial Finance practice umbrella,
focusing on the representation of lenders to franchisors,
franchisees and restaurant brand owners.

*“Top Issuer Counsel for US ABS/MBS,” Asset-Backed Alert 2016 ANNUAL REVIEW | 7