Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Mezzanine Lenders and Foreclosure Sales During COVID-19

By Jeffrey B. Steiner and Scott A. Weinberg
August 01, 2020

Although mezzanine lenders undertake a greater risk when entering into mezzanine loans due to the fact that their rights are junior and subordinate to mortgage lenders, they are afforded with the benefit of, in addition to typically receiving a higher interest rate, the ability to conduct relatively speedy foreclosure sales under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). Given these are unprecedented times, where the global pandemic is likely to result in an increasing number of borrowers defaulting on loans, it is particularly important for mezzanine lenders to pay close attention to the way the courts are beginning to respond to foreclosures in order to learn how to protect one of their most effective remedies: the UCC foreclosure sale.

In this article, we will review a recent case, D2 Mark LLC v. OREI VI Investments LLC, 2020 WL 3432950 (2020), to understand how the court's decision may provide mezzanine lenders with guidance in structuring a UCC foreclosure sale auction in the COVID-19 landscape so as to strengthen their position against any claims by the mezzanine borrower that the sale is not commercially reasonable.

'D2 Mark'

D2Mark LLC (D2Mark), as mezzanine borrower, and OREI VI Investments, LLC (OREI), as mezzanine lender, entered into a Loan Agreement and a Pledge and Security Agreement, both dated as of May 19, 2017, pursuant to which D2Mark pledged its membership interests in D2 Mark Sub, LLC (Collateral), which indirectly owns and operates the Mark Hotel, as security for a $35 million mezzanine loan. After the hotel was forced to close due to COVID-19 governmental restrictions, the mortgage borrower failed to make payments under the mortgage loan which caused a cross default of the mezzanine loan. Subsequently, OREI made protective advance payments totaling $2.2 million to cure the mortgage loan default and avoid the mezzanine loan from being wiped out in a mortgage loan foreclosure.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

The Bankruptcy Hotline Image

Recent cases of importance to your practice.

Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations Image

This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.

How AI Has Affected PR Image

When we consider how the use of AI affects legal PR and communications, we have to look at it as an industrywide global phenomenon. A recent online conference provided an overview of the latest AI trends in public relations, and specifically, the impact of AI on communications. Here are some of the key points and takeaways from several of the speakers, who provided current best practices, tips, concerns and case studies.

The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs Image

The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.