Commercial Lending

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Bradley’s commercial lending attorneys represent a variety of lenders in a high volume of transactions in virtually all types of capital markets and lending transactions. We represent lenders in:

  • National, regional, and community banks, both nationally and state-chartered
  • Nonbank–affiliated mortgage companies
  • Insurance companies

Our market-savvy attorneys work with clients to identify their financial demands, provide resourceful and innovative solutions, and structure deal teams from our diverse group – all with a focus on exceptional, cost-efficient service. To provide our clients with a full range of services in this area, the attorneys on our Commercial Lending team partner with members of our other distinguished practice groups devoted to corporate law, bankruptcy and restructuring, construction, litigation, healthcare, and real estate.

The services our commercial lending attorneys provide include, but are not limited to:

We represent lenders in wide range of inventory and accounts receivable–based financings in industries, including healthcare, energy, construction, and manufacturing. In a recent transaction, Bradley represented a Tennessee state-chartered bank in connection with a syndicated $34 million credit facility to a middle-Tennessee–based energy company, which included a $22 million asset-based revolving facility.
Bradley represents lenders in connection with leveraged ESOP financings. On these transactions, we work closely with our ESOP attorneys to provide comprehensive service, including the financing itself, along with all ESOP-specific matters, such as review of all plan documents and opinions. We recently represented of a Tennessee state bank in connection with a single-bank $11 million ESOP-leveraged credit facility to a north Georgia–based commercial construction company.
We represent lenders providing financing to the entertainment industry, with borrowers ranging from individual entertainers to music publishing companies. Often secured with intellectual property collateral, these transactions require cross-practice group collaboration. Recently, Bradley represented a Tennessee bank in connection with a $13.5 million loan to finance the acquisition of an international music catalog.
Our attorneys represent lenders in connection with a wide range of healthcare finance transactions, including real estate, provider, and device and pharmaceutical transactions. We have extensive experience in both taxable and tax-exempt transactions, along with direct and sponsor-backed transactions. With more than 36 full-time healthcare attorneys, the firm draws upon a wealth of experience in healthcare finance to provide a truly unique knowledge base and level of service. In a recent transaction, we represented an Ohio state-chartered bank in connection with a syndicated $150 million credit facility to a national behavioral healthcare company based in Memphis, with operations in more than 10 states.
We represent lenders in connection with development and construction loans to hospitality companies. Recently, we represented a Tennessee state-chartered bank in connection with a syndicated $70 million credit facility for development and construction of both a Hilton and a Marriott hotel in Nashville.
Bradley represents a wide range of mezzanine lenders and private equity funds in connection with mezzanine finance transactions and has extensive experience in negotiating inter-creditor and subordination agreements related to such transactions. Among our recent transactions in this area is representation of a Nashville-based mezzanine fund in connection with a $20 million mezzanine credit facility to a California-based construction industry manufacturer, which included a complex warrant purchase component and included multiple borrowing entities, locations, and inter-creditor agreements layering four tranches of debt.
Bradley attorneys assist facility providers (lenders/buyers) and mortgage companies (borrowers/sellers) in connection with bilateral and syndicated master repurchase agreements, lines of credit, and participation agreements for warehousing residential mortgage loans before their sale to investors in the secondary market.
We regularly serve as bond counsel on general obligation securities, hospital revenue bonds, special tax obligations, utility revenue obligations, industrial development bonds, and many other types of structured debt transactions. Our client base includes numerous state-level authorities; municipalities; counties; pool-bond issuers; public schools, colleges, and universities; healthcare authorities and special care facility-financing authorities; boards of education; industrial development boards; airport authorities; water, sewer, and utility boards; and other issuers of tax-exempt and taxable securities.
We represent lenders in connection with a wide range of acquisition, development, and construction real estate finance transactions. With more than 50 full-time real estate attorneys, Bradley has a wealth of experience in real estate finance and provides exceptional service, along with a breadth and depth of knowledge that is deep and unique. We represented Wells Fargo Bank in connection with two construction loans in the amounts of $35 million and $33 million, respectively, for senior housing communities located in Tennessee and Georgia.

Complementing our extensive practice in the purchase of real estate, we also counsel our lending clients on the multifaceted legal issues that are specific to real-estate financing. We have demonstrated experience in acquisition, construction, and development, as well as with loans for a vast array of commercial properties, including for refinancing.
We represent lenders in connection with a wide variety of syndicated loans, covering all industries, including both agent and syndicate lender representation. We handle matters ranging from nationally syndicated transactions to local “club deals” with community banks coming together on transactions that are above any individual lender’s legal lending limit.

In addition to syndications, we regularly represent lenders in connection with sales of portions of loans via participation agreements. A recent participation transaction is representation of a Mississippi state-chartered bank in connection with a $15 million credit facility to an operator of senior living facilities in which $7.5 million was sold to an Alabama state-chartered bank via a participation agreement. For some of our other syndicated transactions, see those described under the sections for other services on this page.