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Andrews Kurth Partner Patrick C. Sargent Named President of CMSA, 2009-2010

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New York (Vocus) June 10, 2009

Commercial Mortgage Securities Association is pleased to announce the succession of Patrick C. Sargent as President of CMSA for June 2009-June 2010. He follows Christopher Hoeffel, who served as President this past year and whose term concludes during CMSA’s 15th Annual Convention, now being held in New York.

Pat Sargent is a partner with Andrews Kurth LLP and a member of the Real Estate and Structured Finance and Securitization practice groups in the firm’s Dallas office.

“I’m honored to serve as President of CMSA for the upcoming year, a time I see as our market’s ‘recovery year,'” Mr. Sargent said. “While challenges remain, it’s clear that CMSA is the effective voice for the industry in outlining its views to advance the needs of the members it serves. I see CMSA and its membership as pivotal in bringing strength, reliability and stability back to our industry,” he said.

“Alongside Pat, I wish to sincerely thank Chris Hoeffel for his thoughtful and remarkable leadership during our market’s many challenges this year,” said Dottie Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer, CMSA. “Chris’ stewardship of CMSA through last fall’s acute turmoil in the U.S. financial markets through his work in guiding our members through the many facets of these relief efforts remains instrumental to our mission, and all of us owe Chris a large debt of gratitude.” she said.

“I also join Chris in welcoming Pat as our President,” Ms. Cunningham continued. “Pat is one of the industry’s most experienced, committed and respected leaders in commercial mortgage finance. On behalf of CMSA’s members, all of us look forward to working with him as we begin this year filled with opportunity, recovery and success,” she said.

Pat Sargent has represented participants in every facet of U.S. and international securitization and structured finance transactions, including commercial mortgage loan originators and loan sellers, issuers, investment banks, servicers, borrowers, investors, and rating agencies. Pat is a member of the Board of Governors of CMSA and also serves on the Board of Governors for the Mortgage Bankers Association and the Board of the Chartered Realty Investor Society. He is also a frequent speaker and writer on commercial real estate finance issues.

Pat received his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Kansas State University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and his law degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law, where he served as editor of the Southwestern Law Journal.

Commercial Mortgage Securities Association, the international trade association dedicated to promoting the ongoing strength, liquidity and viability of commercial real estate capital market finance, acts as a legislative and regulatory advocate, playing a vital role in setting industry standards for the global commercial mortgage markets.

Unlike many trade organizations, CMSA is a collective voice, representing the full range of the industry’s market participants: large money-center and investment banks, rating agencies, insurance companies, traders, B-piece buyers and investors.

With more than 270 member companies globally, and with a presence in Europe, Japan and North America, CMSA is dedicated to insightful, forward-thinking research and industry initiatives that encourage vision, innovation and continuous professional growth for market participants. CMSA is committed to being responsive to its members, providing them with a culture of collaboration, collegiality, open and inclusive dialogue, consensus building and respect for diverse views.

Media Relations:

For CMSA: Kenneth Reed, kreed (at) cmsaglobal.org, 212-589-0961

For Andrews Kurth: Ashley Nelly, ashleynelly (at) andrewskurth.com, 713.220.4410

About Andrews Kurth LLP

For more than a century, Andrews Kurth has built its practice on the belief that “straight talk is good business.” Real answers, clear vision and mutual respect define the firm’s relationships with clients, colleagues, communities and employees. With more than 400 lawyers and offices in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, The Woodlands and Washington, DC, Andrews Kurth represents a wide array of clients in all areas of business law. For more information about Andrews Kurth, please visit http://www.andrewskurth.com.

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E-Signatures in Retail Banking: Silanis to Host a Free Live Webcast featuring Independent Research Firm

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Montreal, QC (PRWEB) June 12, 2009

Silanis Technology, the leader in e-signature process management, announced today that it will host a free, live webcast with featured guest Forrester Research to discuss the role of e-signatures in e-commerce initiatives. Ellen Carney, Senior Analyst, Technology Industry Strategy at Forrester Research and Michael Laurie, VP of Strategic Development at Silanis, will present an industry update and share best practices for implementing electronic signatures in banking. The 60-minute webcast will take place on Thursday, June 25 at 2:00 pm (EST).

“In the push to make operations more efficient and reduce costs, banks will continue to shed headcount and close branches states a Forrester report entitled North American Bank IT Spending in 2008. That means banks will be looking to make their remaining employees, including the IT organization, even more productive.” In an additional report, Industry Essential: The US Retail Banking Market, Forrester focuses on the impact of technology, “Banks will focus on technology solutions that can better integrate and automate banking business processes, reducing errors and not-in-good order (NIGO) business.”

E-Signature process management solutions offer a strategic way to address these challenges. From consumer loan originations and account openings, to mortgage closings and securitization of assets, e-signatures make it possible for banks to execute transaction paperwork, without the paper. Many leading banks and lending institutions have already adopted e-signatures across multiple product lines, processes and channels, resulting in substantial benefits, including:


Increased back-office processing efficiency
Improved customer experience
Costs savings
Fewer NIGO applications
Increased loan officer productivity
Stronger legal and compliance position

Aimed at line of business executives and IT/IS decision-makers, the presentation will feature:

Adoption trends and drivers
Common challenges in automating customer-facing transactions
Compliance and risk considerations
Real-world examples – Mortgage, Consumer Lending, Securitization

To register for the webcast, visit Silanis’ website at:

http://www.silanis.com/e-signatures-banking.html

About Silanis

Silanis Technology is the leading provider of e-signature process management solutions. The world’s leading insurance and financial services companies, major government agencies, integrators and service providers depend on Silanis to accelerate business transactions and reduce costs while improving compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The company’s electronic signature platform, ApproveIt

Vertical Capital Solutions Launches Advisory Business

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New York, NY (PRWEB) June 24, 2009

Vertical Capital Solutions (“VCAP Solutions”) in partnership with Vertical Capital, LLC an SEC registered investment advisor with over $ 4.5 billion in AUM, has launched a valuation and advisory business that will provide a wide range of services to clients. The platform was created by combining Vertical Capital’s market leading technology and analytics with a successful advisory platform – Kensington Blake Capital – which has deep experience in structured products valuation, advisory, risk management, and the trading of complex loans and securities.

The VCAP Solutions management team has held senior leadership roles at global banks, insurance companies and asset management firms, bringing firsthand experience in the risk management of loan and structured product portfolios. The effort is led by Charles McLendon, who will join as Managing Partner. McLendon was formerly the President and CIO of Primus Asset Management and was the Global Head of the Investment Grade Credit Group at Bank of America. Ricardo Diaz and Brian Zwerner, former partners at Kensington Blake Capital, will join as founding Partners in VCAP Solutions. The company is launching their practice with a core team of seven professionals that bring over 125 years of combined experience with support from Vertical Capital’s highly advanced proprietary loan level technology platform. VCAP Solutions will have dedicated professionals in offices in New York, Atlanta and Chicago.

VCAP Solutions has been formed in response to the unprecedented changes in the financial markets that have created a demand for independent advice, valuation, and analysis. The VCAP Solutions’ team brings a wealth of structured products, whole loan, derivatives and capital markets experience to a wide range of potential projects. While each project is unique, VCAP Solutions’ services are focused in three main areas: Valuation and Financial Reporting, Risk Assessment, and Strategic Advisory. VCAP Solutions’ range of capabilities are broad, including delivering independent valuations on large portfolios, providing granular cash flow and stress analysis, and assisting in portfolio management and trade execution on individual assets and portfolios.

“Our clients need access to unbiased advice supported by granular information, market perspective, and robust analytics capabilities,” said Charles McLendon, Managing Partner at VCAP Solutions. “The combination of an experienced team of structured products professionals with access to market leading tools developed over the last six years at Vertical Capital will allow VCAP Solutions to be an immediate leader in the market for providing valuation and risk management services.”

“Vertical Capital has invested heavily in building out the best tools in the marketplace for evaluating complex loans and securities. We are very pleased to have assembled this high caliber team to meet clients’ needs” said Tom Pearce, Managing Partner at Vertical Capital. “We are thrilled to have the VCAP Solutions team as partners to develop the complementary advisory and solutions business,” said Brett Graham, Manager Partner at Vertical Capital.

For more information on the VCAP Solutions team and services, please visit: http://www.vcapsolutions.com, or Contact:

Charles McLendon

Managing Partner

Vertical Capital Solutions

Phone: 212.786.5300

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myAutoloan.com Experiences Dramatic Increase in Auto Loan Demand for 2nd Quarter 2009

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Irving, Texas (PRWEB) July 12, 2009

myAutoloan.com, an online direct to customer auto finance company, has seen a 113.4% percent increase in applications for the second quarter 2009 compared to second quarter 2008. Just as dramatic, comparatively, the second quarter of 2009 to the first quarter 2009 has shown an increase of 77.6%. The demand for direct to consumer auto finance has jumped significantly during the first six months of 2009.

Finance applications for the purchase of new and used cars as well as refinance loans, has risen sharply due much in part to the increase demand for the limited indirect financing that is available through traditional channels at dealerships. These traditional channels have left consumers without options thereby leaving consumers to apply online in search of alternative financing. They have been driven to expand their search options and through the internet, the consumer is finding alternative financing solutions. This is clearly resulting in the large increase of auto loan application volume.

“We are absolutely delighted to be in a position to help so many people with solutions to their auto finance needs,” said Dale L. Peterson, President of myAutoloan.com “and once again, this continues to signal that demand for direct to consumer lending for the purchase of new and used autos and auto refinance loans is much bigger than the supply of financing. We experienced the same strong demand in the first quarter as we see lenders tighten credit and leave the direct market because of a lack of available ABS securitization.”

Peterson also stated that, “As we monitor the month to month activity, the strength of the demand from direct consumer financing customers continues to search for a relaxation of some of the overly cautious parameters they are evaluating applicants by. We’ve seen interest rates increase, and credit qualifications become so narrowly defined that all anyone can do is wait for lenders to increase their activity. We seriously believe that it’s a matter of time before visionary companies enter and capture market share in this direct to consumer market.

“It is still a very challenging marketplace,” Peterson said, “with all that has happened, the Big three automakers, the bailouts, the reorganizations and restructurings in just the last 90 days. However, we continue to be excited about the future and are pleased with the positive growth that we have been able to achieve. Although uncertainty remains as to when credit will loosen up, the industry will emerge stronger and more prepared to meet the changing needs of the consumer market. Our overall long term outlook of our industry remains positive.”

About myAutoloan.com:

myAutoloan.com is a registered trademark of and a division of Horizon Digital Finance, L.L.C. which began operation in 2003. The company is a privately held, direct-to-consumer, internet-based financing marketplace that helps consumers take control of the research, finance and buy processes for New and Used Auto Loans, Refinance Auto Loans, Private Party Auto Loans and Lease Buyout Auto Loans. Offering a wide range of products and services to simplify the search for information and funding alternatives, consumers are provided with a secure, confidential place to obtain up to four loan offers. myAutoloan.com facilitates the matching of lenders based upon customer needs via a patent pending, proprietary analysis and evaluation process called Preferred Placement

QuinStreet CEO Identifies Recession Winners and Losers at LeadsCon 2009

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Foster City, CA (PRWEB) July 14, 2009

QuinStreet, Inc. CEO, Doug Valenti, was a featured speaker on the State of the Industry panel at LeadsCon 2009 in Las Vegas on May 4. Valenti offered a valuable perspective into the online lead generation industry. At the helm of the industry’s leading performance marketing and media firm for the past decade, Valenti has a deep understanding of trends in online marketing.

“No business is completely immune from the current economic climate, and there are many segments of online marketing that are negatively affected by current economic weakness,” Valenti said. “But, performance marketing on the Internet is one of very few industries continuing to grow overall. Looking to the future, we see a cause for continued optimism and a long term growth chart that is very much up and to the right.”

Valenti projects potential winners in the months ahead, predicting companies with heavy reliance on media for customer acquisition, such as NetFlix, are likely to capitalize on declining display ad rates. Other businesses likely to succeed in online marketing are companies whose value proposition is based upon saving consumers money.

“We are seeing a lot of shopping online for cost savings on essential products and services,” Valenti said. “It’s not a surprise that coupon sites have achieved revenue increases approaching 40 percent this year.”

Other categories of business likely to grow in the current market are non-discretionary products and/or services. Medical and health related products and services are holding up very well in online marketing campaigns, Valenti noted.

On the other hand, Valenti anticipates continued market softness for businesses promoting discretionary purchases, especially large items such as automobiles and homes, as consumers continue to delay making big ticket purchases.

“Purchases that require consumers to access bank credit or home equity are facing particular challenges at this time due to tightened credit and reduced home equity values,” Valenti said. “Many remodeling and home improvement projects are scaled back due to financing constraints.”

Bank related offerings, such as credit cards and mortgages, are unlikely to see significant growth in the near-term due to problems with their balance sheets and with securitization markets. Banks with strong balance sheets may succeed in attracting new customers, particularly for refinancing, Valenti noted.

The LeadsCon 2009 State of the Industry panel was moderated by David Carlick, Director, ReachLocal, Inc., and featured Valenti along with Ross Sandler, Senior Analyst Global Internet & Media Research, RBC Capital Markets; and Michael Zeisser, Senior Vice President, Liberty Media Corporation.

About QuinStreet, Inc.

QuinStreet, Inc. has been the leader in performance marketing and media online since 1999, consistently delivering the right leads at the right volume to thousands of industry-leading clients.

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myAutoloan.com Continues to Lead Industry with Newest Innovation – Direct to Indirect Auto Financing

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Irving, Texas (PRWEB) August 3, 2009

myAutoloan.com, an online auto finance company, is launching its newest innovative product expansion to their marketplace lending platform to include, direct-to-indirect lending. This expanded lending product enhances the company’s marketplace lending platform leveraging its patent pending Preferred Placement℠ technology. Preferred Placement℠ matches consumers to direct lenders through a sophisticated scoring process resulting in a high approval rate and funded loans.

The marketplace lending platform that now includes, ‘Direct-to-Indirect’ leverages current economic conditions, and provides an innovative hybrid model that matches consumers to indirect lenders. This process utilizes established technologies and processes but allows for the addition of indirect lenders and their dealer networks. Typically direct lending customers receive a check-in-hand and can shop with any franchised dealer they choose. The expanded platform will match indirect approved customers, as well as, matched to the approving lender’s dealer network to close the loan.

Online customers will continue to benefit from the additional lenders available to approve and fund their auto loan. Lenders benefit from the additional quality customer base that myAutoloan.com presents, translateing into additional funded loans. Dealerships will benefit from the additional finance approved customer traffic directed to their businesses, thereby selling more cars.

The demand for both direct and indirect online auto financing has jumped significantly during the first six months of 2009. Finance applications for the purchase of new and used cars, as well as refinance loans, has risen sharply due much in part to the increase demand for the auto loan financing that diminished due to lending institution restrictions or exits from the auto lending marketplace.

These channels left consumers without options, and consequently, consumers have begun to apply online in search of alternative financing. They eagerly expanded their options searching for alternative financing solutions. This resulted in a large increase of auto loan application volume.

“We are absolutely delighted to be in a position to launch this latest marketplace platform lending product, and we’re confident it will delight our customers, lenders, and their dealers,” said Gregory Thibodeau, CEO of myAutoloan.com “Challenging markets lead the way for new product opportunities, and the direct-to indirect expansion, as presented by myAutoloan.com, is innovative and in strong demand.”

We believe that this continues to signal that demand for direct to consumer lending for the purchase of new and used autos, and that auto refinance loans are much bigger than the supply of financing. We experienced the same strong demand in the first quarter as we see lenders tighten credit and leave the direct market because of a lack of available ABS securitization.”

Thibodeau also stated that, “As we monitor the month to month activity, the strength of the demand that we see from our marketplace lending platform shows that customers continue to search for a less hostile lending alternatives. This is because of the overly cautious parameters that lenders are using to evaluate financing applicants.

Woodbridge Structured Funding LLC Announces Second Quarter Results

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(PRWEB) August 13, 2009

Studio City, CA Buoyed by an insatiable investor appetite for Selling Structured Settlements and Lottery Payment investments, Woodbridge has reported record second quarter results. Scott Schwartz, executive vice president of Woodbridge announced, “Since the financial meltdown of fourth quarter we have seen incredible demand from both the selling side and investor side.

Our customers now have only one way of realizing cash and that is from the sale of their structured settlements or annuity. The days of refinancing and taking on new credit card debt are over as banks have cut way back and reduced credit lines and credit card limits for customers.”

Schwartz continued, “On the investor side since the securitization market collapsed and we switched over to marketing our products to private investors we have been inundated with investors seeking the safety and comfort of high yielding investments backed by “A” Rated insurance companies or state lotteries.”

Schwartz added, “Our product is one notch under treasury and yield 500 to 700 basis points more. It’s is no wonder that our product is flying out the door.”

Woodbridge Structured Funding LLC is a pioneer in the financial services industry. Over fifteen years ago, we innovated the purchase of future payments in return for a lump sum. Since 1993, Woodbridge Structured Funding LLC, its predecessor companies and founders, have bought hundreds of millions of dollars of lottery winnings, jackpots, structured settlements, annuities, mortgages and deeds of trusts–one satisfied customer at a time.

Woodbridge Structured Funding LLC can be found online at http://woodbridgeinvestments.com/

Press Contact:

Scott Schwartz

Woodbridge Structured Funding LLC

http://woodbridgeinvestments.com/

(866) 865-7044

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DebtMarket Launches as First Automated Portfolio Marketplace; Will Expedite Pricing, Purchase and Sale of Consumer Debt

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Danville, Calif. and Los Angeles (PRWEB) August 17, 2009

In an effort to answer the vexing question of how financial institutions can price troubled assets, DebtMarket (http://www.debtmarket.com) launches today as the world’s first automated marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of loan portfolios.

DebtMarket enables an estimated 60,000 loan originators (primarily banks, credit unions and finance companies) and portfolio owners (primarily institutions, hedge funds and private equity investors) to list loans from the major consumer loan asset classes, including automobiles, mortgages and student loans. In the months ahead, the company also will support credit card portfolios and other asset classes. DebtMarket accepts loan portfolios of any size, credit quality and loan performance.

DebtMarket enters a market that is measured in the trillions of dollars. Total U.S. revolving and non-revolving consumer debt, including mortgages, was more than $ 14 trillion at the end of 2008, according to the Federal Reserve. DebtMarket also has the potential to play a role in helping both the federal government and the lending industry price hundreds of billions of dollars in troubled assets. Clearer market pricing results in greater market liquidity and efficiency.

The company also announced it has tapped Intel’s former research director as CTO and enlisted several top consumer finance leaders for its advisory board [see the news release, “DebtMarket Attracts Leaders in Technology, Financial Services”].

“DebtMarket is a solution to the credit crisis, applying game-changing technology to provide a transparent, efficient, standardized platform that financial institutions and institutional investors anywhere can use to price, purchase and sell debt,” said DebtMarket Founder and Chairman Scott Walchek. “DebtMarket transforms the existing secondary debt market – much as eBay transformed the auction marketplace – by making it easy for institutions and institutional investors of all types and sizes to participate.”

A serial entrepreneur who has created, led and/or funded an impressive roster of highly successful start-up companies, Walchek has been an innovator in educational video games, a pioneer in Internet shopping cart technology, and was among the first to see the search technology opportunities in China with Baidu. “Technology is the gateway to transparency, and transparency is the tonic that has the power to re-ignite the economy,” Walchek said. “The world’s first automated portfolio marketplace, DebtMarket is the antidote to traditional opaque loan sale methodologies that talk about transparency but fail to deliver. We see DebtMarket as an ideal tool for regulators seeking to expedite the clean-up of toxic bank assets, especially for those small- to mid-size institutions that previously have lacked a marketplace for their loans.”

DebtMarket enables participants to establish and negotiate pricing, perform due diligence and complete all the paperwork needed to close the transaction. The end-to-end transaction technology eliminates inefficiencies, reduces costs, and invites participation from buyers and sellers regardless of size, geography or other previous barriers to entry. DebtMarket technology delivers transparency through a series of essential elements: an auction-style marketplace for competitive pricing; loan-level detail; direct contact between buyer and seller; a visible next-step process in the transaction; and a published fee structure.

“DebtMarket has the potential to transform the way institutions and institutional investors buy and sell consumer debt,” said Mike Sheridan, Co-founder and President of DebtMarket. “DebtMarket acts as a market stabilizer by providing access to buyers and sellers beyond companies’ traditional reach. This helps address the ‘price discovery’ problem that historically has discouraged so many small- and medium-size institutions and new investors from participating. DebtMarket’s disruptive technology pushes the envelope by handing control to buyers and sellers, which results in greater transparency.”

Industry observers suggest that DebtMarket will initially attract buyers and sellers of distressed debt, but that demand for a full-spectrum, technology-enabled solution is likely to extend to the market as a whole.

“The market today is distressed, with assets being sold at a discount — and that’s where an online marketplace like DebtMarket will generate its early successes,” said Jim Jones, former CEO of Residential Capital, Inc. (ResCap), the real estate finance arm of GMAC, and one-time head of consumer credit at both Bank of America and Wells Fargo. Historically, securitization has provided debt originators and portfolio investors with the information they required to make a buy/sell decision. “The difference today is there is no securitization taking place,” Jones said. “The DebtMarket platform assimilates the same type of information buyers and sellers need and provides it via a transparent medium. The result is that buyers and sellers can be more confident that their bid will be evaluated on an equal footing with others. That’s what transparency is all about.”

Walchek and Sheridan began testing the DebtMarket model in July 2008, when they launched a beta to address a single asset class – auto loans. Since then, GDNAuto has transformed the way auto dealerships and financial institutions trade as much as $ 30 billion a year in subprime auto debt. The platform’s success within the auto finance realm has led to a number of significant partnerships between the newly dubbed DebtMarket and auto finance institutions and affiliated service companies.

That continues today with the announcement of a definitive agreement with Frazer Computing, Inc., a Canton, N.Y.-based provider of dealer management software, to incorporate certain features of the DebtMarket platform into its dealership offerings. Frazer is one of the industry’s largest DMS providers, with 4,700 active users, most of which are independent dealers [see the news release, “DebtMarket Signs Partnership Agreement with Frazer Computing”]. DebtMarket said it intends to pursue similar relationships across the broad consumer credit landscape.

About DebtMarket

DebtMarket (http://www.debtmarket.com) is the world’s first automated marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of loan portfolios. The innovative DebtMarket technology platform delivers price transparency, process automation and direct buyer/seller communication in a secure online environment.

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Law360 Introduces Four New Daily Email Newsletters for Business Lawyers

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New York (PRWEB) September 14, 2009

Law360, the fast-growing online news service for business lawyers in private, corporate and government practice, today announced the launch of four new practice area sections to complement its diverse range of daily online newsletters.

The new sections are for the legal practice areas of Corporate Finance, Contract Law, International Trade and Appellate Law.

With the addition of the four new sections, Law360 now publishes 16 daily online newsletters in virtually every major practice area of interest to leading law firms, reporting on emerging news of importance to each practice area and delivering that content to their customers’ email inboxes every morning. The company’s paid subscriber base for the Law360 newsletters includes 99 of the top 100 law firms, thousands of corporate counsel and virtually every major government enforcement agency.

“We’re excited about the launch of these four new sections on Law360 because they give us an expanded online platform for serving the needs of our existing subscribers, as well as enabling us to provide valuable content to a new audience of business lawyers who are focused on the important disciplines of corporate finance, contract law, international trade and appellate practice,” said Marius Meland, chief executive officer of Portfolio Media, publishers of Law360.

The four new Law360 sections include:

R.O.I. Properties Specializes in Helping Commercial Real Estate Investors Buy Bulk REO Properties in Arizona

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Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) October 2, 2009

R.O.I. Properties, a Phoenix-based real estate firm, specializes in helping commercial real estate investors buy bulk REO properties in Arizona. Buying bulk REO properties creates an enormous opportunity for both the small and large investor.

“Buying REO properties in bulk provides investors with the ability to purchase REO properties at a fraction of the cost in an environment where they could not get anywhere close to the terms and pricing they want on their own,” said Beth Jo Zeitzer, President / Designated Broker of R.O.I. Properties. “We specialize in helping commercial investors meet their needs and avoid the hassles involved in the bulk buying process.”

The size and capitalization of a group brings tremendous credibility to the table since the group can provide multiple exit strategies for the properties. Buyers can invest in REO properties without the hassles of going to auctions, contacting banks, probate sales, estate sales, etc.

According to real estate expert Robert Kline of RW Kline, LLC, there are many advantages associated with investing in commercial real estate in bulk. The first is that preventing retail foreclosures benefits the tenants and their business. The foreclosure process takes months and can result in temporary maintenance, security and insurance problems while the property changes hands. Secondly, the government does not have formal help for commercial loan modifications, although there is money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program to offset losses from bad commercial loans. In addition, the national commercial mortgage debt currently exceeds 3.5 trillion dollars, and two-thirds of securitized mortgages due today have no hope of being repaid in the near term.

Over the past 8 months, from January 1, 2009 to September 1, 2009, there have been a total of 352 commercial REO sales transactions for a total of over $ 1 billion. That is a more than 30% decline over the same 8-month period in 2008, when the transactions resulted in a sales volume of more than $ 1.4 billion (Costar).

For more information about real estate investment opportunities related to bulk REO properties in Arizona, visit ROIPropertiesAZ.com.

About R.O.I. Properties

R.O.I. Properties is a full service real estate brokerage firm specializing in foreclosure properties in Arizona, bankruptcies, probate properties and more. R.O.I. works with banks, lenders, asset managers, bankruptcy attorneys, receivers, fiduciaries and turn around professionals to sell their distressed real estate assets, both residential and commercial.

Contributing Writer: Marcela Houser

Marcela Houser, CCIM, is part of R.O.I. Properties’ Commercial Distressed Assets Division. Marcela has been working in commercial real estate for eight years, with a specialization in retail and office leasing and sales. She is bilingual, and brings a wealth of experience in facilitating transactions with users, owners and investors.

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