Practice Areas
Patrizio Messina is a dual qualified lawyer (Italy and England) experienced in securitizations, structured finance transactions and M&A transactions of banks and financial institutions.
Since 2001 Patrizio has been named among the best Italian securitization and structured finance lawyers by the most renowned and accredited directories (including Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, Top Legal, Legal community) winning over the years awards as best Italian lawyer in finance, securitization, NPLS & UTP. The Legal 500 includes him in the Hall of Fame for Capital Markets.
Patrizio has been a pioneer since the introduction of the Italian securitization law in 1999. In 1998, he assisted in the first RMBS securitization in Italy (structured with a dual regulatory law). In 1999, he participated in the drafting and study committee of the securitization law and was advisor in one of the first RMBS securitizations in Italy under the newly introduced law.
In his career, from 1999 to the present, he has advised on securitizations of various types of assets, such as RMBS, SMEs, leasing, consumer loans, SME financing, and healthcare receivables. In the last 10 years he has focused on securitizations of non-performing loans such as NPLs and UTPs, with ordinary and synthetic securitization structures and competitive portfolios sales, assisting most Italian systemic banks to divest their non-performing loans.
In the Non-Performing Exposure sector, in 2016 he was advisor to the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance for the drafting of the decree that introduced the GACS (state guarantee on the securitization of non-performing loans), by Decree-Law No 18 of 14 February 2016.
Patrizio has also been involved in securitizations of NPEs in Greece and Southern Europe, having assisted major Greek systemic banks in securitizations of performing assets also using HAPS (the Greek guarantee corresponding to the Italian GACS).
Patrizio has a solid experience in debt capital market and is considered a pioneer in the field of so-called Minibonds, having assisted Confindustria in relation to the legislation introducing these instruments and Borsa Italiana in the creation of the Extra-MOT PRO segment for the listing of Minibonds. To date, the Finance team coordinated by Patrizio assists the majority of Minibond issuers in the Italian market.
Patrizio has also been involved in major Italian bank rescue and relaunch transactions, having assisted Fondo Interbancario di Tutela dei Depositi - FITD, as shareholder, in the recapitalization and sale to Crédit Agricole Cariparma of 95.3% of the capital of Cassa di Risparmio di Cesena, Cassa di Risparmio di Rimini and Cassa di Risparmio di San Miniato; Banca Carige and Banca Popolare di Bari for which he was coordinator of the team that assisted the Extraordinary Commissioners appointed by Bankitalia. In addition, in 2021 Patrizio was coordinator of the team that assisted the MEF as shareholder in the privatization of the Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena group.
Patrizio is Associate Professor of Structured Finance Law at San Raffaele University in Rome. He is Visiting Professor in Alternative Finance for SME, European regulation and practice at King's College Business School, and Fellow of The Dickson Poon School of Law at King's College (London, UK). Patrizio is Chairman of CELF - Center Of European Law and Finance, a study centre specialized in the updating and study of European financial law and regulation, where he established an Academy for the talents of the main banks, financial institutions and Large Corporations active in Italy.
After graduating in law from the University of Catania, he worked in the legal department of an international merchant bank in London, and later became an associate of an international law firm. In 2003 he set up the Rome office of a major international law firm.
In 2017, he gained an executive MBA in global leadership with the TRIUM programme (NYU, LSE, HEC).
Patrizio is Avvocato in Italy (admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Cassation) and Solicitor in England and Wales.
Finally, Patrizio has published numerous articles on business law in leading domestic and international law reviews and is the author of monographs such as:
Minibond e Capital Markets Union Disciplina vigente ed evoluzione normativa. STRUMENTI E MODELLI DI DIRITTO DELL'ECONOMIA, vol. 34, (2021)
Finance for SMEs European Regulation and Capital Markets Union Focus on Securitization and Alternative Finance Tools (2019)
I contratti bancari e finanziari Giurisprudenza, dottrina e modelli contrattuali (2013)
Le operazioni finanziarie nel diritto dell'economia Finanza pubblica e d'impresa (2011)
