Tara E. Castillo

Partner,

Co-Chair of the Finance Group

Tara is a seasoned, Chambers-ranked finance attorney who represents originators, issuers, borrowers, lenders, underwriters, and other market participants in structured finance and securitization transactions across a broad spectrum of asset classes. She regularly advises new market entrants in navigating the operational and legal aspects of inaugural warehouse finance and securitization platforms.

Warehouse Facilities, Securitizations, and Other Asset-Backed Transactions

Borrower’s counsel to the specialty finance subsidiary of a publicly traded company that provides collector car financing solutions to high-net-worth individuals and businesses in the U.S., Canada, and Europe in connection with its $75 million cross border warehouse financing facility.
Represented a subprime auto lender in the securitization of residuals from multiple term securitizations structured to comply with risk retention regulations using a majority-owned affiliate.
Counsel to a diversified consumer finance company in its issuance of $200 million of notes backed by personal consumer loans.
Counsel to the borrower in a $750 million warehouse facility that was one of the first deals in the structured finance industry to leverage ESG-based key performance pricing.
Represented the U.S. finance subsidiary of a global automobile manufacturer in its public auto securitization program and executed 29 public auto securitization transactions totaling $35 billion.
Issuer’s counsel to an auto finance platform specializing in first-time auto buyers in its warehouse financings and securitizations of auto receivables.
Issuer’s counsel to a seasoned publicly traded independent auto finance company that provides indirect auto financing in connection with its 144A securitization program involving auto loans.
Counsel to a publicly traded consumer finance company in its warehouse and 144A securitization program involving hard-secured and soft-secured consumer loans.
Counsel to a publicly traded timeshare finance company in its warehouse and 144A securitization program involving timeshare receivables.
Counsel to a finance company in its securitization of retail installment contracts repaid by payroll deduction.
Represented a global alternative asset investment management company in a non-prime auto loan purchase program leveraged by an uncommitted warehouse facility structured to be compliant with the EU risk retention rules.
Represented a diversified consumer finance company, together with seven of its originator subsidiaries, in an amortizing term loan secured by subprime auto receivables.

Lender Finance

Represented the administrative agent and a senior lender in a $100 million syndicated financing facility of online marketplace consumer loans and credit card receivables originated by a fintech platform.
Represented a senior lender in a credit facility to an online platform secured by personal loans to physicians and dentists originated by a fintech platform.
Represented the administrative agent and lender a senior lender in a credit facility secured by motorcycle leases.
Represented a senior lender in a credit facility to a wholly-owned special- purpose subsidiary of the leading provider of residential lease-to-own products for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) industry.
Represented the administrative agent and lender in a credit facility to a wholly-owned special-purpose subsidiary of the leading provider of income share agreements (ISA) for students across higher and alternative education.
Represented the lead arranger and administrative agent in a $350 million senior secured floorplan credit facility relating to certain eligible new, used, and rental recreational vehicles.
Represented a South Korean senior lender in its first U.S. cross-border investment in the form of a $25 million secured loan to a marketplace lender and 10 of its originator subsidiaries.

Fintech Platforms

Counsel to a global financial technology company regarding a decline loan approval auto purchase program.
Represented a lender in credit facility to a wholly-owned special purpose subsidiary of a fintech provider of technology-enabled MCA and SaaS receivables.
Counsel to a national marketplace lending company specializing in online personal loans in its inaugural $75 million warehouse facility.
Represented a startup app-based vehicle subscription leasing company in its acquisition and financing of a vehicle lease portfolio originated by one of the first rideshare market competitors, and the establishment of various warehouse credit facilities to finance its consumer and rideshare vehicle subscription lease programs.

Other Finance Representations

Represented a U.S. finance subsidiary of a global automobile manufacturer in its issuance of medium-term notes in the U.S. and Europe pursuant to its $25 billion program and $11 billion program, respectively.
Represented the leading U.S. provider of packaging solutions for a wide variety of consumer products in its trade receivables and supplier finance programs.
Represented one of the world’s largest chemical companies on the U.S.-related legal aspects of its €1.5 billion multinational trade receivables loan facility.
Counsel to a major nationally recognized statistical rating organization advising on legal compliance with the Dodd–Frank Act.
Represented a leading insurance premium finance lender in several financings, including a multibank conduit-funded credit facility secured by insurance premium finance loans.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Structured finance counsel to the acquiror in the negotiation of the timeshare receivables financing and securitization aspects of an acquisition resulting in the largest upper-upscale and luxury timeshare operator, with a transaction value of approximately $3 billion. The transaction was named the largest hospitality M&A deal of 2021 by Dealogic.
Counsel to a financial institution in the purchase and sale of a credit card receivables portfolio and certain other securitization assets relating to a $2 billion public credit card securitization program.
Counsel to a publicly traded company and acquiror in the negotiation of the timeshare receivables financing and securitization aspects of a $1.6 billion acquisition.

Tara E. Castillo

Warehouse Facilities, Securitizations, and Other Asset-Backed Transactions

Lender Finance

Fintech Platforms

Other Finance Representations

Mergers & Acquisitions

Bar Admissions

Education

Memberships

C-Suite Considerations for Onboarding a Securitization Strategy