Steven is a Chambers USA ranked finance lawyer who has represented both borrowers and lenders in structuring and closing hundreds of transactions backed by billions of dollars of collateral. According to Chambers, he attracts praise for his warehouse lending practice and his ability to advise on new financing transactions across the technology market.

With a particular emphasis on residential and commercial mortgage related collateral, Steven works on deals involving a variety of loan asset classes. He has represented both buyers and sellers of performing and nonperforming residential and commercial mortgage loans and has closed multiple public and private securitizations. In 2018 alone, Steven closed 85 transactions totaling more than $19 billion of collateral involving residential (including multifamily and government insured mortgage loans) and commercial mortgage loans, RMBS, CMBS, servicing advances, servicing rights, residential tax liens and trade receivables. He is a trusted advisor to money center banks, hedge funds, servicers and other financial intermediaries.

Steven also has extensive experience in the fintech and consumer lending industries. He represents lenders and loan sellers in the financing of various products (including, without limitation, unsecured consumer loans, student loans and loans backed by solar panels), and assists in the development of flow purchase programs to online lending platforms. Steven has worked with electronic vaults and issues dealing with electronically delivered collateral and blockchain technology.

Initially trained as a general corporate lawyer, Steven has advised on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising transactions, fund formation and general corporate matters. Prior to attending law school, he worked for five years in the mortgage and management consulting industries, gaining practical skills that allow him to work easily with both clients and adversaries.

Steven serves as hiring partner for the firm’s New York office. He also serves as outside general counsel to ChemoCars and provides various pro bono legal services, including drafting its bylaws and conflict of interest policy, guiding the organization through the process of obtaining its 501(c)(3) certification and providing intellectual property advice.

Relevant Experience

• Develop form repurchase agreements for money-center banks in roll-out of warehouse lending programs. 
• Closed multiple repurchase facilities involving performing and distressed mortgage loans and RMBS.
• Closed multiple financings of multistate residential tax liens. 

• Represents sellers and buyers of prime, alt-a, subprime and scratch and dent mortgage loans and servicing rights.
• Represents ABS issuers in connection with public and private residential mortgage-backed securitizations, including resecuritizations and net interest margin (NIM) transactions.
• Represents asset-backed commercial paper conduits in trade receivables financings.
• Represents privately held and public companies in a variety of corporate transactions from organization through exit strategies.
• Represents lenders in connection with work-outs and special situations.
• Frequent speaker on topics related to structured finance, including moderating a panel discussion, titled “Mortgage Loan Warehousing and Repo Market,” at the American Securitization Forum Annual Conference in January 2012; moderating an "REO Investment and Rental Roundtable" for the firm’s clients in June 2012; and participating in a panel discussion, titled “Update on the REO to Rental Program” at the Information Management Network ABS East Conference in October 2012.

Bar Admissions

Education
JD, Rutgers University School of Law, with high honors, 1997BA, Economics, Cornell University, 1989