Features

Rules for Investing In NNN Deals
<i><b>The Mysteries and The Risks</b></i><p>The triple net lease, or NNN (also known as a bondable lease), is a common lease structure used in commercial real estate. Even though it has become widely popular, the most seasoned investors and their advisers do not always fully understand the details.
Features

Criminal Allegations Threaten Merger
Abbott Laboratories' $5.8 billion proposed purchase of Alere, a Massachusetts medical testing company, is in trouble now that multiple criminal allegations have been leveled against Alere.
Columns & Departments
In the Courts
A jury in the Southern District of Texas awarded over $92 million in damages to the United States in a case against mortgage lenders who fraudulently granted and underwrote loans insured by the Federal Housing Authority and then reaped massive payouts when those loans went into default.
Features

Equipment Financing Is on the Rise
According to the recently released U.S. Equipment Finance Market Study 2016-2017, conducted for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, 78% of respondents used at least one form of financing when acquiring equipment in FY 2015. This is up from 72% of respondents from the previous Foundation market study released in 2012, and represents an increase in the overall propensity to finance.
Features

HVCRE Regulations
<b><i>Greater Clarity Needed</b></i><p>The new HVCRE rules require banks to assign a 150% risk weight to any HVCRE exposure (up from the 100% risk weight assigned under general risk-based capital rules) and cover all acquisition, development or construction (ADC) loans unless an exception applies.
Features

The 'Death Spiral' Of U.S. Malls
One of the main causes of the "death spiral" of malls in the United States has been the bankruptcies, and subsequent liquidations, of many retailers that were once household names -- and often a mall's anchor tenants.
Columns & Departments
Case Notes
A New York court has found that a landlord did not commit fraud when it failed to disclose to its prospective tenant that a long-term municipal improvement construction project was about to commence near the leased premises.
Columns & Departments
Business Crimes Hotline
On Nov. 17, 2016, JPMorgan APAC, a Hong Kong subsidiary of JP Mor¬gan Chase & Co., agreed to pay $72 million for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
Features

Duty to Warn and Third-Party Conduct: A Look at Two Recent New York Cases
In the past year, New York's highest court, the Court of Appeals, issued two decisions addressing both the scope of a defendant's duty to warn in negligence and products liability actions, and the scope of tort liability in actions predicated upon third-party conduct.
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- The 'Sophisticated Insured' DefenseA majority of courts consider the <i>contra proferentem</i> doctrine to be a pillar of insurance law. The doctrine requires ambiguous terms in an insurance policy to be construed against the insurer and in favor of coverage for the insured. A prominent rationale behind the doctrine is that insurance policies are usually standard-form contracts drafted entirely by insurers.Read More ›
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- Abandoned and Unused Cables: A Hidden Liability Under the 2002 National Electric CodeIn an effort to minimize the release of toxic gasses from cables in the event of fire, the 2002 version of the National Electric Code ("NEC"), promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association, sets forth new guidelines requiring that abandoned cables must be removed from buildings unless they are located in metal raceways or tagged "For Future Use." While the NEC is not, in itself, binding law, most jurisdictions in the United States adopt the NEC by reference in their state or local building and fire codes. Thus, noncompliance with the recent NEC guidelines will likely mean that a building is in violation of a building or fire code. If so, the building owner may also be in breach of agreements with tenants and lenders and may be jeopardizing its fire insurance coverage. Even in jurisdictions where the 2002 NEC has not been adopted, it may be argued that the guidelines represent the standard of reasonable care and could result in tort liability for the landlord if toxic gasses from abandoned cables are emitted in a fire. With these potential liabilities in mind, this article discusses: 1) how to address the abandoned wires and cables currently located within the risers, ceilings and other areas of properties, and 2) additional considerations in the placement and removal of telecommunications cables going forward.Read More ›
- Guidance on Distributions As 'Disbursements' and U.S. Trustee FeesIn a recent case from the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, In re Paragon Offshore PLC, the bankruptcy court provided guidance on whether a post-plan effective date litigation trust's distributions constituted disbursements subject to the U.S. Trustee fee "tax."Read More ›