Overview
Lauren Pryor serves as co-head of the Financial Institutions M&A group and as a member of the firm’s Partnership Board.
Lauren represents financial services industry participants in a wide range of strategic M&A. Investment funds, financial sponsors, mortgage companies and depository institutions turn to Lauren for counsel on residential mortgage transactions, complex stock and asset-based transactions, full equity deals, PE investments, JV arrangements and transfers of consumer assets such as residential mortgage loans, consumer loans, business purpose loans, mortgage servicing rights and credit card receivables.
Areas of Focus
Experience
Notable Engagements:
- Represented Guild Mortgage in connection with the acquisition of the Cherry Creek Mortgage origination platform and related assets.
- Represented pro-tech company in connection with the strategic acquisition of a mortgage originator.
- Represented Rushmore Loan Management Services, a leading residential mortgage servicer, in the sale of its residential mortgage servicing platform to Mr. Cooper Group, one of the largest home loan servicers in the country.
- Represented the owners of Roosevelt Management Company in connection with the sale of Roosevelt and its subsidiaries to Mr. Cooper Group.
- Represented Redwood Trust in connection with a joint venture with funds managed Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. to invest in business purpose bridge loans originated by CoreVest American Finance Lender, a division of Redwood.
- Represented Roosevelt Management Company in its sale of Potomac Technology Ventures, a company providing fintech and data analytics through artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as its India-based subsidiary to Livegage Technology Services.
- Represented Rushmore Loan Management Services in connection with the sale of its servicing platform to Select Portfolio Servicing Inc.
- Represented Redwood Trust in connection with the acquisition of Riverbend Funding, LLC and its subsidiaries, a private mortgage lender to residential transitional and commercial real estate investors.
- Represented Redfin Corporation in connection with its acquisition of Bay Equity.
- Represented Waterfall Asset Management, LLC, an SEC-registered institutional asset manager, in its acquisition (through its affiliate Mortgage Assets Management, LLC) of Mr. Cooper Group Inc.'s reverse servicing portfolio, operating under the Champion Mortgage brand.
- Represented strategic investor in connection with the acquisition of multiple portfolios of jumbo, residential transition and bridge loans.
- Represented Guaranteed Rate in connection with a joint venture with Compass to form OriginPoint, a mortgage originator.
- Represented private equity investor in connection with multiple equity investments in residential mortgage and fix-and-flip lenders.
- Represented national independent mortgage lender in connection with multiple sales and purchases of residential mortgage servicing rights over several years.
- Represented strategic investor in connection with the acquisition of consumer loan portfolios and a related equity investment.
- Represented Guild in connection with the acquisition of Residential Mortgage Services (RMS), a residential mortgage loan originator focused in the Northeast.
- Represented Ocwen Financial in connection with a joint venture with Oaktree to launch a MSR investment vehicle.
- Represented national mortgage lender in connection with a strategic internal reorganization and financing arrangement.
- Represented independent mortgage lender in connection with an internal reorganization and minority investment by a strategic partner.
- Represented Redwood Trust Inc. in its $490 million acquisition of CoreVest American Finance Lender LLC, a leading nationwide originator and portfolio manager of business-purpose residential loans, from Fortress Investment Group LLC and certain management holders.
- Represented Varde in connection with the sale of Deephaven Mortgage to Pretium Partners.
- Represented funds managed by CarVal in connection with the acquisition of credit card receivables from Signet Jewelers and a related servicing arrangement.
- Represented HomeStreet Bank in connection with the sale of certain home loan centers to Homebridge.
- Represented Stearns Lending in connection with its equity investment in Certainty Home Loans, a mortgage originator.
- Represented Stearns Ventures in connection with its equity investment in Citywide Home Loans, a mortgage originator.
- Represented national mortgage servicer in connection with the sale of its servicing rights portfolio, including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae servicing rights representing unpaid principal balances of approximately $25 Billion.
- Represented Cornerstone Mortgage in the sale of its origination platform and mortgage servicing rights portfolio to Guild Mortgage.
- Represented Bayview Loan Servicing in connection with its acquisition of certain mortgage loan origination assets from Homeward Residential, an affiliate of Ocwen Loan Servicing.
- Represented Wells Fargo Bank in connection with its purchase from Seneca Mortgage of mortgage servicing rights related to residential mortgage loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with aggregate balances in excess of $51 billion.
- Represented Bayview Asset Management in its acquisition of Pingora Asset Management and Pingora Loan Servicing from Annaly Capital Management, including negotiation of all material agreements and obtaining “change of control” approvals.
- Represented a banking institution in connection with flow purchases of commercial loans from a fintech lender.
- Represented Guaranteed Rate Inc. in connection with the acquisition by a joint venture established by Guaranteed Rate and Realogy Holdings Corp of certain assets of PHH Home Loans’ mortgage operations, including mortgage origination and processing centers.
- Represented a banking and financial services company in the sale of mortgage servicing rights related to reverse residential mortgage loans held by Fannie Mae or backing securities guaranteed by Ginnie Mae with aggregate balances in excess of $15 billion to a residential mortgage loan service provider.
- Represented Lakeview Loan Servicing in the purchase from PHH Mortgage Corporation of servicing rights related to residential mortgage loans backing securities guaranteed by Ginnie Mae with aggregate balances in excess of $14 billion.
- Represented a major national bank in connection with multiple coordinated sales of non-performing and reperforming whole loans and related mortgage servicing rights to various purchasers.
- Represented a major national bank in connection with its flow mortgage servicing rights sale agreement related to the Ginnie Mae PIIT program.
- Represented mortgage originator in its purchase of substantially all of the business assets and certain pipeline loans from a regional mortgage company.
- Represented Bayview and Lakeview in coordinated series of servicing rights purchases from national banks and various originators.*
- Represented Sterling Partners in the sale of Pingora Asset Management and Pingora Loan Servicing to a publicly traded REIT, including negotiating bridge financing provided by the purchaser and acknowledgment agreements and subordination of interest agreements with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae pertaining to related sales and pledges of excess servicing fee income and obtaining “change of control” regulatory approvals.*
- Represented a NYSE-listed consumer financial services company in the stock acquisition of a mortgage company involved in the origination, sale and servicing of residential mortgage loans.*
- Represented a major national bank in sales of mortgage servicing rights of delinquent mortgage loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and then facilitated the re-sale of the underlying non-performing loans to third party investors on a servicing released basis.*
- Represented a major national bank in sales of servicing rights related to residential mortgage loans with aggregate balances in excess of $450 billion, including concurrent and coordinated individual sales of servicing rights related to pools with aggregate balances of $215 billion and $93 billion.*
- Represented the parent company of Finance of America in connection with its acquisition and combination of three mortgage origination and servicing companies, including continued assistance in connection with negotiation of IT and outsourcing contracts during the transitional phase.*
- Represented the seller of a servicing platform and assets of a mortgage servicing company.*
- Represented the purchaser of mortgage origination platform and related assets.*
- Represented purchasers in acquisitions of privately held mortgage origination and servicing companies.*
- Represented sellers and purchasers in connection with acquisitions and divestures of privately held companies and business assets across various industries.*
- Represented a private equity firm in investment and joint venture transactions.*
- Represented a bank holding company in a public-company merger transaction.*
* Represented, in whole or in part, work performed by Ms. Pryor while at a previous firm.
Perspectives
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November 092023
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November 032023
Events
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October 242022
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July 272022
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April 222020
News
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September 222023
Education
University of Maryland School of Law, JD, cum laude
Executive Symposium Editor, Journal of Business and Technology Law
Connecticut College, BA, cum laude
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- New York
- Virginia