Structured Finance

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

The Structured Finance Course examines how large commercial real estate financings are put together. The course will explore the evolution of the real estate finance transaction. Who the players were and who they are now. How have structures changed with the influence of Wall Street as a major player having entered the market in the early 90’s and the issues they faced during the credit crisis of late 2007? We will examine the options available and the problems currently facing both Borrowers and Lenders. The course will give a practical overview of how we finance the entire capital structure from senior loans to mezzanine tranches to equity. Guest lecturers, who are major forces in the business, will tell you their stories and impart their wisdom in this challenging time for structured finance. Upon completion of this course, students should have a full grasp of how deals are financed. As a result, the student should be an asset to their employer in this field. The course will include some lecturing, discussion and a significant amount of team projects designed to teach the student the anatomy of “the deal.” Class participation (20%), significant team projects including the creation of a finance memorandum, as well as specific research assignments to help train the real estate mind (30%), how well the professor feels you grasp the knowledge (20%), and a final examination (30%) will serve as the learning and assessment tools.