Asa Herald

Practice Areas

Asa (Geordie) Herald, a partner in the structured transactions practice, concentrates in the areas of structured finance and securitization and related corporate matters. He counsels issuers, underwriters, servicers, and investors in connection with domestic and cross-border public offerings and private placements of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities involving a wide variety of asset types and structures, including with respect to resecuritization transactions (re-REMICs) involving previously-issued securities.

He has two decades of experience with asset classes such as residential mortgage loans and residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) including with respect to qualified mortgages (QMs); jumbo, agency, and agency high balance loans; non-QMs; non-owner occupied/investor loans (NOO/INV); reperforming loans (RPLs) and nonperforming loans (NPLs); reverse mortgage loans and forward, fix-and-flip/residential transition loans (RTLs); home equity lines of credit (HELOCs); and manufactured housing (MH) and other residential products; as well as shared appreciation home equity investments (HEIs), small balance commercial loans (SBCLs), and single family and multifamily construction and permanent loans (and mortgage-backed securities or debentures issued in respect thereof) securitized through Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the US Small Business Administration, including early buyout loans (EBOs). He has also counseled mortgage and fintech clients with respect to the incorporation of blockchain technology and the tokenization of securities. In addition, he represents investment banks in matters related to the securitization of credit card receivables.

His practice also includes counseling sophisticated clients in connection with servicing, servicing transfers, whole loan sales, derivatives, and investments in performing and distressed receivables, including the creation and maintenance of various distressed asset fund structures, as well as with matters related to master repurchase agreements, the issuance of variable rate demand obligations, standby liquidity support agreements, standby bond purchase agreements, letters of credit, and reimbursement agreements. He advises clients in forming affiliated corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), statutory trusts, and other corporate entities, including bankruptcy-remote special purpose vehicles and privately held real estate investment trusts (REITs). He also represents investment banks in connection with the offerings of securities backed by the full faith and credit of the federal government.

Geordie presently serves as co-managing partner of the firm’s Washington, DC office, co-leader of the firm’s banking industry team, and previously served as co-leader of the firm’s Veterans Lawyers Network. In addition, he served on active duty for nearly a decade as a surface warfare officer in the US Navy before beginning the practice of law, and he continued as a reservist for several years thereafter. Prior to leaving military service, he attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander; while on active duty his last assignment was as an Executive Support Officer to the US Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.

To learn more about Geordie and his experience, please go to: https://www.morganlewis.com/bios/asaherald.

Personal

Northwestern University, 1992, B.A., With Departmental Honors; The George Washington Law School, 2002, J.D., With Honors

Industry Sector Expertise

Banking

Financial Services

Investment Funds

Fintech