Expert Details
Banking Operations, Commercial Real Estate Finance, Restructuring, Loan Workouts, and Lender Liability
ID: 734948
California, USA
Expert possesses deep knowledge in mergers and acquisitions, corporate acquisition due diligence, business and real estate valuation, and corporate crisis management. He served as an Executive Board Member of a top-50 public accounting firm while participating in the leadership of their real estate, litigation support, and M&A due diligence practices. He has also served as court appointed receiver for both operating companies and commercial real estate.
Respected by bank regulatory authorities; he has appeared as one of six industry experts before 20 members of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s staff on August 12, 2008, to discuss rapidly declining U.S. economic conditions and the prospect of widespread U.S. bank failures. He was also a member of a contingent that traveled to Japan with FDIC Chairman William Siedman in 1998 to counsel Japan’s Financial Services Agency on how to manage insolvent banking institutions.
Expert is a widely published authority on troubled banks, distressed real estate, bank bailouts, real estate asset management, corporate crisis management, and capital market trends. He is a frequent guest speaker at real estate, corporate turnaround, and law conferences/special events, and a bestselling author of a Covid-19 Real Estate Resource Guide.
Since 2015, Expert directs a consulting firm as the Managing Shareholder, providing consulting and expert witness services to corporations, financial institutions, and law firms on a national basis. In 2019, he was appointed Senior Advisory Board Member of a Los Angeles bank, and in June 2024, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of a New York City based bank and Chair to the Audit Committee.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1979 | Degree: BS | Subject: Real Estate/Finance | Institution: Florida International University |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2015 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Managing Shareholder | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Directs national consulting and expert witness services for corporations, financial institutions, and law firms.• Provides advisory services in bank governance, real estate valuation, commercial loan underwriting, M&A due diligence, capital raising, restructuring, and risk oversight. • Serves on senior advisory boards of financial institutions. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2011 to 2015 | Employer: CohnReznick LLP | Title: Managing Director | Department: Restructuring, Litigation & Transactional Services |
Responsibilities:• Served as consulting and testifying expert in cases involving failed banks, lender liability, loan underwriting standards, bank policies, and FDIC/DOJ matters.• Led analyses of CAMEL ratings, loan loss reserves, audit reports, and troubled loan portfolios. • Directed multidisciplinary assignments across bankruptcy, M&A due diligence, valuation, and forensic accounting. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2010 to 2010 | Employer: BBK Ltd. | Title: Managing Director / National Real Estate Practice Lead | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Led national real estate workout, valuation, insolvency, and bankruptcy services for banks, trustees, developers, and attorneys.• Acted as expert witness in lender/borrower disputes, underwriting issues, reorganizations, valuation disputes, and professional liability matters. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2008 to 2009 | Employer: Alvarez & Marsal, LLC | Title: Managing Director | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Directed real estate workout, insolvency consulting, and advisory services to banks, funds, trustees, and developers.• Published industry analyses and delivered frequent speaking engagements on distressed real estate, capital markets, and bank performance. • Solicited national clientele across the financial and real estate sectors. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2007 to 2007 | Employer: Squar Milner LLP (now Baker Tilly) | Title: Managing Director / Real Estate Practice Leader | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Led real estate transactional, receivership, and advisory practices.• Managed due diligence and fiscal compliance for large development projects and institutional real estate portfolios. • Assisted in review of a $10 billion real estate loan portfolio, including underwriting, administration, grading, and loss reserve analysis. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2001 to 2006 | Employer: Cohen & Holtz LLP (now Marcum) | Title: Executive Board Partner | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Directed corporate consulting, financial advisory, due diligence, real estate advisory, and litigation support services.• Led acquisition diligence across multiple industries and managed litigation support for national law firms. • Served regularly as a testifying expert in state and federal cases. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1999 to 2000 | Employer: Baron Capital Partners, Ltd. | Title: Managing Director & Shareholder | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Established boutique investment banking firm serving middle-market companies and real estate entities.• Directed strategic planning, M&A, capital procurement, loan workouts, and corporate turnarounds. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1992 to 1998 | Employer: RER Financial Group, LLC | Title: Managing Director / President / COO | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Directed five national advisory subsidiaries involved in asset evaluation, distressed loan management, RTC/FDIC engagements, CMBS due diligence, and asset recovery.• Managed 175 professionals and 200 subcontractors in multiple offices. • Oversaw major federal contracts and high-volume nonperforming asset portfolios. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1990 to 1991 | Employer: Deutsch Ireland Capital Recovery Corp | Title: Senior Vice President | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Managed resolutions of distressed commercial real estate assets.• Directed development district structuring, receivership operations, due diligence, and project repositioning. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1986 to 1989 | Employer: J.E. Robert Companies | Title: Senior Vice President | Department: |
Responsibilities:• America’s premier counselor to the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation and to directors and officers of failing savings and loan associations.• Represented directors of 15 savings associations located in 9 states, whose institutions were under siege by the FSLIC. • Actively directed efforts to minimize loan losses, including restructuring and/or sale of non-performing loans and the sale of operating subsidiaries, including insurance companies, broker dealers, factoring companies and real estate development companies. • Aggregate assets of these institutions exceeded $28 billion. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1984 to 1985 | Employer: Southern FloridaBanc Savings Association | Title: Senior Vice President | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Oversaw restructuring and liquidation of subsidiaries and major real estate investments under regulatory scrutiny.• Led loan swaps, redevelopment projects, and negotiations with regulators. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1982 to 1983 | Employer: AmeriFirst Development Corporation | Title: Vice President | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Evaluated joint venture proposals, project feasibility, and financing structures.• Enhanced governance and documentation standards for development ventures. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1980 to 1981 | Employer: Jacobs, Visconsi & Jacobs Co. | Title: Assistant Director of Peripheral Land | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Negotiated ground leases and development deals around major regional malls.• Supported design, construction, and strategic leasing. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1976 to 1979 | Employer: General Electric Credit Corporation | Title: Investment Manager | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Managed foreclosure, redevelopment, and liquidation of residential and commercial projects.• Oversaw major property repositioning projects exceeding $55 million. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1971 to 1975 | Employer: National City Bank | Title: Construction Loan Officer | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Originated, underwrote, and managed construction loans and permanent takeouts.• Directed foreclosure processes and liquidations of large loan portfolios. |
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Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| For over 20 years, Expert has served as a consulting and testifying expert in over 60 legal matters nationwide involving financial institutions, banks, real estate developers, corporate entities, receivers, and partnership disputes. He has provided deposition and trial testimony in state and federal courts, bankruptcy courts, and arbitration forums across multiple jurisdictions. Assignments span complex commercial real estate, bank failures, class actions, construction disputes, valuation disputes, and financial forensics. Areas of testimony include: • Lender liability, loan underwriting standards, and regulatory compliance. • Failed bank governance, fiduciary duty, and professional negligence claims. • Real estate valuation, due diligence, project feasibility, and development disputes. • Bankruptcy plan feasibility, cramdown interest rates, and restructuring analyses. • Partnership, joint venture, and asset management disputes. • Receivership standards of care, property management, and damages. • Foreclosure disputes, loan servicing standards, and alleged concealment or misrepresentation. |
Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| • Alpine Capital Bank – Board of Directors, Audit Committee Chair • Pacific Symphony – Governing Member (2023–2024). • City of Hope – Advisory Board Member (2007–2011). • 4Kids of South Florida – Development Board Member (2006–2007). • Florida’s Children First – Advocacy Volunteer. • Rachlin, Cohen & Holtz – Executive Board Member, Partner (2004–2006). • Baker Tilly International – International Corporate Recovery Committee, Founding Chairman (2001–2003). • Urban Land Institute Japan/Asia – Founding Council Member (1998–1999). • RER Financial Group – Board of Directors (1995–1998). • Real Estate Recovery, Inc. – Board of Directors (1994–1998). • Real Estate Capital Recovery Association – Founding Board Member (1991–1995). • Overoaks Community Development District – Founding Director (1989–1990). • Au Printemps USA – Board Member (1987–1988). • Southern FloridaBanc Savings Association – Board Member (1985–1986). • AmeriFirst Property Investors, Inc. – Founding Principal (1982–1983). |
| Awards / Recognition |
|---|
| Expert has received numerous awards and recognition throughout his career. He has also been commissioned by the Federal Reserve Bank of Washington D.C. to speak before 20 of Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke's key governors and executives, about the impending systemic crash of the U.S. economy and its effect on both banks and real estate. |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| Expert has published more than 25 articles covering distressed real estate, loan workouts, banking practices, valuation, restructuring, and capital markets, and he is a Bestselling Author of a Covid-19 Real Estate Resource Guide. He is recognized as a speaker with over 100 engagements at national and international conferences in banking, real estate, restructuring, insolvency, and investment forums. |
Fields of Expertise
commercial real estate, professional liability, lender liability, bankruptcy, bank fraud, fraudulent transfers, fraudulent preference actions, partner liability, loan restructuring, CMBS, RMBS, acquisition due diligence, brokerage disputes, loan underwriting standards, loan risk ratings, ALLL Reserves, structured real estate transactions, Property Receiverships, Quantum meriut assessment, Condominium hotels, Timeshare/Fractional/Destination resorts, Condominium association management, Public purpose tax districts, Troubled commercial properties, Damages assessment and rebuttal, breach of fiduciary duty, landlord/ tenant disputes, real estate finance, loan workout, capital markets, real estate development, property operations, capital formation, failed bank expert, turnaround consultant, foreclosure, receivership, bankruptcy feasibility, cramdown interest rate, real estate valuation