George Magnatta

Career

George Magnatta serves as trusted bond, underwriter's, borrower's and tax counsel for states, municipalities, housing authorities, economic development authorities and nonprofit entities in the implementation and financing of major capital projects that benefit public, private and nonprofit entities. A former assistant branch chief in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel's Legislation and Regulations Division in Washington, D.C., George is also a seasoned practitioner in tax aspects of public finance with a thorough understanding of the complex Internal Revenue Code requirements in this area.

George is well-versed in structuring tax-exempt financings for states, cities, colleges and universities, real estate developers, housing authorities, and industrial development authorities. He has been involved in multimillion-dollar financings for sports stadiums and arenas, airport terminals, hospitals, universities, continuing care facilities including nursing homes, residential rental projects, and gas and electrical utility projects.

His practice extends to advising on bond pools, interest rate swaps, and housing bond financings (both multi-family and single family). George also represents clients before the IRS involved with tax-exempt bond audits ranging in value from several-million-dollar bond issues to multimillion-dollar bond issues.

A thought leader and go-to source for his in-depth knowledge and body of work, the IRS sought George's feedback through his past work on its Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities. On behalf of the committee, George contributed to reports about revisions to voluntary closing agreement procedures (VCAP), the issuer’s role in conduit financings, and information reporting relating to tax-exempt bonds. He is a co-author of the book “ABCs of Industrial Development Bonds” and authored a chapter titled “The Many Roles and Responsibilities of a Public Finance Professional” in the book “Public Finance Settlements and Negotiations: Leading Lawyers on Establishing Financial Covenants, Negotiating Mortgages, and Outlining Bottom-Line Goals.”

Prior to joining Stradley Ronon, George was a partner at an Am Law 200 firm, where he was head of the firm’s public finance practice for many years and held several practice and committee leadership positions.