Christopher J. Hart

Christopher J. Hart is a Senior Counsel in the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office where he has more than 30 years of experience representing banks, other lenders and borrowers in a wide range of asset-based and real estate secured loans. Chris represents construction, bridge and permanent lenders, life insurance companies, reinsurance companies, CMBS conduit lenders, local and institutional developers, owners and investors in connection with all aspects of commercial finance and workouts. He has substantial experience with balance-sheet lenders and CMBS/conduit lenders on all commercial property asset types, including office, retail, multi-family and resort.

Chris has substantial experience in the hotel and hospitality industry, where he has represented both borrowers and lenders in more than $12 billion worth of financings, franchise and management agreements, dispositions, property improvement plans (PIPs) and investor relations.

Chris' finance work has included multi-tranche mortgage finance, A/B note structures, mezzanine finance, CMBS originations, insurance-hedged finance, syndications and participations, and specialty finance. His practice includes all aspects of senior, mezzanine and subordinate secured debt origination, sales, participations and other dispositions in the capital markets, as well as restructurings, workouts, short sales, and REO work. He has been involved in numerous portfolio and pooled property dispositions throughout the United States and Canada.

Chris is a former Co-Chair of the Firm's Board of Directors.

Loan Originations/Modifications

• Representation of reinsurance company in connection with insurance hedging arrangements and secured loan originated by a separate money-source lender in connection with an institutional investor’s acquisition of third-party administration contracts and other life insurance-related assets
• Representation of lenders' agent in origination and closing of a $1 billion construction loan on a retail/entertainment project located near New York City, as well as in workout and restructuring negotiations among seven co-lenders
• Origination of a $405,000,000 refinancing and construction loan for expansion of a full service hotel and conference center in Orlando, Florida, involving a syndicate of nine international and domestic lenders
• Origination of a $65,000,000 construction loan for the conversion and development of an historic manufacturing complex in downtown Chicago to a regional retail center with three big box and a variety of other retail tenants
• Refinance of two existing mortgage loans and assumption of ten existing securitized and non-securitized mortgage loans totaling over $210,000,000, secured by twelve Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt-brand hotels located throughout the United States in connection with the merger of two unrelated investment groups
• Representation of investors/ownership group in connection with modification of securitized loans secured by a pool of projects located throughout the U.S.
• Multiple representations of life insurance company in connection with acquisitions of syndicated loan interests in various construction and bridge loans secured by multi-family, industrial and other commercial properties

Workouts/Restructuring

• Representation of institutional lenders and administrative agents in a wide range of modifications, restructurings, intercreditor negotiations and workouts for balance sheet, syndicated and securitized transactions
• Representation of lenders and administrative agents in all aspects and stages of enforcement actions and negotiations including enforcing guarantees and indemnities, foreclosures, other realization upon real and personal property collateral, and actions for loan deficiencies
• Representation of administrative agents and lenders in syndicated loans, including loans involving "defaulting lender" concerns and senior/mezzanine lender conflicts and controversies