Financial Institutions

Dean Mead’s Financial Institutions Industry Team has extensive experience representing financial institutions and borrowers throughout Florida.

We structure all types of commercial lending transactions on a daily basis for our clients.  Members of our team also advise financial institutions, their corporate counsel and borrowers on a daily basis with respect to general lending issues including those relating to Florida documentary stamp taxes, intangible taxes and bankruptcy issues and creditors’ rights.

Specific Qualifications

Dean Mead is well qualified to represent clients in commercial lending transactions in Florida. The senior attorneys on our team all have 30 or more years of experience and have handled major loan transactions for almost every significant financial institution operating in Florida.   The team also has the ability to call on the expertise of the other attorneys in our firm to deal with legal issues that arise in lending transactions, including land use issues, environmental issues, water and permitting issues, agriculture issues, construction issues, tax issues, and estate and trust issues. The broad range of experienced attorneys we have in these areas allows us to provide comprehensive service to our financial institution clients.

Efficiency and Service

We have established a reputation throughout Florida for providing prompt, cost-effective service to financial institutions. We have handled numerous and varied loans over the past 25 years so we are never “starting from scratch” on any new loan transaction. We can provide quality, cost-effective service because we have several dedicated paralegals each having over 20 years experience in documenting commercial loans. We are on the “approved list” for almost every major financial institution operating in Central Florida so we understand the requirements of large banks including the requirement to become familiar with each institution’s documents and procedures. We also understand when and how to interact with corporate counsel within each institution.

Commercial and Specialty Finance

Asset based lending represents a large portion of our practice and we regularly represent lenders in equipment, receivables and inventory financing including revolving loans, borrowing base facilities and term loans. We are well versed in preparing documents to encumber partnership interests, limited liability company membership interest, corporate stock, deposit accounts, securities accounts and other collateral typically granted as collateral for commercial loans. Our team also has handled various types of lending transactions involving specialized types of transactions and collateral. These include loans funding “ESOP” transactions (Employee Stock Ownership Plans) and loans secured by airplanes and boats involving national and international registries.

Real Estate Finance

Dean Mead's team also is experienced in real estate finance and regularly represents both financial institutions and borrowers in the negotiation, documentation and closing of loans of all types of real estate. We structure a variety of commercial real estate lending transactions including real estate development loans for housing, office and mixed use projects and construction loans and acquisition loans for all types of properties. We have extensive experience in documenting multifaceted lines of credit for national production builders and for custom builders.  We also have deep ties in Florida agriculture and we structure agriculture loans on a regular basis.

Loan Workouts

Members of our team are experienced in representing financial institutions in all phases of distressed commercial real estate loans. We regularly represent institutional creditors in negotiated restructurings; acquisition, valuation, resolution and/or disposition of distressed loans; bankruptcies and foreclosures of distressed investments. Our litigation lawyers work in conjunction with our real estate lawyers to successfully handle out-of-court workouts, forbearance agreements and restructurings of distressed loans. We provide litigation representation with respect to commercial foreclosures, creditors' rights in bankruptcy and UCC lien and guaranty enforcement actions. We also work closely with our clients so they understand the workout process and can determine the most effective strategy for achieving their objectives.

Creditors’ Rights, Foreclosures and Bankruptcy

In the event that a workout fails, our team includes attorneys who focus their practice on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, including the formulation and confirmation of plans of reorganization; liquidation plans; prepackaged plans; representation of creditor and bondholder committees; cram-down litigation; litigation involving unexpired leases and executory contracts; litigating avoidance actions; debtor-in-possession financing; valuation proceedings; post-petition financing; acquisitions of stock and assets; asset sales; going-out-of-business sales; automatic stay litigation; and bankruptcy appeals.

We also draw upon the experience of our large group of experienced estate planning lawyers to provide advice to banks concerning assets that are exempt from creditor claims in Florida and in making proper claims in estate proceedings.

In addition, we have handled complex foreclosure actions on all types of properties, including shopping centers, hotels, office buildings, apartment complexes, restaurants, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and agricultural properties. Our attorneys regularly appear in both state and federal courts on a variety of creditor/debtor issues. We also assist our clients in post-judgment execution, including the domestication and enforcement of judgments of other states and foreign countries, and prosecuting fraudulent transfer claims. Our team also provides advice to our clients regarding the tax consequences of real estate loan workouts, foreclosures and deeds in lieu of foreclosure.

 Following is a representative list of the transactions in which our Team has been involved:

• $32 million construction loan for multifamily project in Pinellas County, Florida
• $45 million revolving line of credit construction loan for phase hotel-condominium project in Orange County, Florida
• $15 million construction revolving line of credit to developer of retail drug stores across the State of Florida
• $29 million construction loan for retail shopping center in Volusia County, Florida
• $25 million construction loan for multifamily project in Celebration, Florida
• $132 million syndicated loan transaction involving seven real estate lenders and two mezzanine lenders for luxury high-rise condominium project in Miami, Florida
• $10 million construction loan for build to suit office building project in Broward County, Florida
• $75 million residential builder line of credit for construction of single family homes across Florida
• $90 million residential builder line of credit for construction of single family homes in seven southern states
• $12 million loan for construction of big box retail center in Orlando
• $24 million construction loan for multifamily project near Naples, Florida
• $13 million and $9 million construction loans for condominium projects in Volusia County, Florida
• $13 million development loan for construction of residential subdivision in Orange County, Florida
• $15 million loan for construction of big box retail center in Hernando County, Florida
• $20 million loan for citrus grove in Manatee County, Florida
• $31 million loan for construction of waterfront hotel in Naples, Florida
• $9 million and $7 million loans for construction of hotels in Orange County and Daytona Beach, Florida
• $15 million loan for construction of tissue paper manufacturing plant in Central Florida
• $31 million loan for condominium project in downtown Orlando
• $26 million loan for construction of multifamily project in Tampa, Florida
• $47 million revolving construction loan for condominium project in Fort Myers, Florida
• $15 million loan for construction of office building in Miami, Florida
• $50 million revolving line of credit for agricultural/food distribution operations.
• $30 million revolving line of credit of agricultural importer/warehouser.
• $32 million guidance line of credit for production home builder.
• $35 million line of credit for multi-family builder.
• $28.25 million construction loan for hotel guidance line of credit loan for multi-use
  development.
• $34 million loan for airplane acquisition.