Mayer Brown is widely acknowledged as having one of the premiere securitization practices in the world, and according to Chambers Global 2009 is “fully deserving of its place among the elite.”  In 2009 and 2010 Mayer Brown was ranked as number one issuer counsel in ABS deals by value of transactions by Thomson Reuters.

With over 100 structured finance lawyers in offices across the Americas, Asia and Europe, we have one of the largest structured finance practices in the world – and with that size comes the knowledge, experience and manpower to tackle transactions of any scale in almost any jurisdiction. We have been at the leading edge of securitization from its early days and have securitized virtually every conceivable asset type including:

• Auto loans
• Credit cards
• Insurance settlements
• IP and whole businesses
• Mortgage backed securities (RMBS and CMBS)
• Student loans

We also have one of the largest asset-backed commercial paper practices in the world.  We are currently at the forefront of the industry’s efforts to restructure CP vehicles to deal with changing accounting and risk based capital rules. We have represented most conduit sponsors in the ABCP industry in connection with the establishment or restructuring of their ABCP programs and/or in connection with the customer transactions entered into in connection with such programs. This includes not only the traditional multi-seller ABCP programs that have survived the credit crisis but also the various single-seller, extendible, callable, SIV, arbitrage and hybrid programs that emerged and then faded along the way. Our experience covers domestic programs as well as cross border and multi-currency programs.  That depth of experience also makes us well suited to represent dealers in their ABCP programs.

We have represented both buyers and sellers in repo and structured repos of commercial and residential mortgage loans, commercial and residential mortgage backed securities and other securities.  Many of these repos have been structured to take advantage of the special protections available to repos and securities contracts under the bankruptcy code and similar bank insolvency statutes. We have also developed creative ways to use repos and securities contracts as an alternative to true sale structures.

Our mortgage securitization practice includes extensive experience in whole loan trading, including representing purchasers, originators, investors and sellers in both servicing-retained and servicing-released transactions. We have advised on purchases and sales of both residential and commercial mortgage loans that have been prime mortgage loans, subprime mortgage loans, distressed mortgage loans or home equity loans.

Leadership and Innovation
Mayer Brown attorneys continue to be at the cutting edge of developments, working with clients to find solutions to their liquidity needs. We are adept at handling the issues that arise as markets evolve and thrive on the challenges this presents. In Europe we have pioneered hybrid securitization/ABL structures for acquisition financing. In the United States, have been involved with the US Federal Reserve's Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) from the outset and believe we have led more TALF deals than any other law firm. In Asia we are at forefront of utilizing Islamic finance principles in a range of structured finance products. A key factor in our ability to structure these cutting edge transactions is the depth of knowledge within the firm of the regulatory and international accounting standards issues that affect  securitization.

Drawing on our firm’s collective experience, we deliver creative, practical, business-oriented solutions even in market conditions for which there are no precedents.

One of the key benefits that we bring to our clients is the knowledge and know-how that derives from being extremely well-connected and active across the industry. The breadth of our client base and the volume of securitization transactions we handle generates a depth of institutional and market knowledge, which we give back to the marketplace. Mayer Brown attorneys take a range of leadership roles in such industry groups as the American Securitization Forum, the European Securitisation
Forum and the China Securitisation Forum.