Cadwalader’s Fourth Annual Finance Forum in Charlotte Gathers More Than 450 Industry Leaders in Broad Discussion of Key Financial Topics

October 17, 2019

International law firm Cadwalader hosted its fourth annual Finance Forum in Charlotte today, bringing together more than 450 national and Charlotte-area financial industry leaders and professionals to discuss critical market and regulatory issues and trends impacting multiple sectors, including commercial real estate finance, middle market lending, fund finance and securitization.

The event took place at the Ritz-Carlton and featured 15 panels moderated by Cadwalader partners and comprised of over 50 industry leaders from across the country, representing leading lenders, institutional investors, private equity firms, rating agencies and industry groups.

This year’s program also featured a keynote address by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, who spoke about the rising prominence of state AGs in enforcement and what this shifting power dynamic – from federal to state enforcement – means for the financial services industry. He was introduced by former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, now the head of Cadwalader’s State Attorneys General practice.

Forum panel topics addressed many areas of heightened focus, including the trends and issues surrounding specific asset classes, the fundamentals of lending within a late-cycle market environment, the ongoing transition away from LIBOR and other financial regulatory changes.

“Outside of our day-to-day work for clients, we look to create opportunities for key influencers to come together so they can take the collective temperature of the industry, ask their top-of-mind questions and gain knowledge to adapt and evolve their businesses,” said Stu Goldstein, Managing Partner of Cadwalader’s Charlotte office and co-chair of the firm’s Capital Markets practice.

“I always look forward to attending Cadwalader’s annual Finance Forum,” said Brian Strout, Managing Director at BB&T Capital Markets. “As a premier financial services law firm, Cadwalader and its clients present a unique blend of both diverse perspectives and substantive insights on issues, problems and opportunities that is hard to match in either depth or breadth. This year was no different and I again found it extremely beneficial to interact with industry leaders and peers across many disciplines to talk about current issues as well as the future drivers of change.”

The Finance Forum panels covered topics including:

Commercial Real Estate: 

  • The Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Borrower’s Perspective: What Now, What’s Next?
  • CRE Lending Standards: Competing in a Late-Cycle Market
  • Commercial Mortgage-backed Securities (CMBS) Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
  • State of Play: Focus on CRE Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLO) and Bridge Lenders

 Middle Market Lending: 

  • CLO Roundtable
  • Middle Market Traditional and Non-Traditional Lending: What’s Next?
  • Bank Credit Processes: Everything You Always Wanted to Know (*But Were Afraid to Ask)
  • Middle Market Lender Financing: An Overview

 Fund Finance:

  • Behind the Numbers: The 2019 Fund Finance Global Market
  • A Conversation with Judith Erwin, CEO of Grasshopper Bank

Market and Regulatory Developments:

  • Talking LIBOR Transition: An Update From Industry Leaders
  • Volcker 2.0: Key Takeaways
  • Bankruptcy Remote Deal Structuring: From the Legal and Business Perspective
  • Government Enforcement and Litigation Trends in the Financial Industry

The Finance Forum, complimentary for all attendees, concluded with a networking event.

“It is both an honor and an obligation for us to host this important program every year,” Goldstein said. “Our diversified experience in the financial industry – and our depth in each of the finance disciplines – gives us a differentiated view into the wide-ranging issues affecting participants in its many corners. We’re already thinking about ways to make this an even more meaningful program next year.”

Cadwalader is a leading advisor to financial institutions, providing comprehensive counsel on all finance products. Headquartered in New York, Cadwalader has a significant presence in Charlotte, with over 90 lawyers serving financial industry, funds and corporate clients.