Mark W. Harris

Biography

Mark Harris is a partner in Blank Rome’s Finance group. For over 30 years, specialty finance companies, private credit funds, financial institutions, and related service providers have relied on Mark to guide them in structured finance and securitization transactions involving a variety of asset classes, including residential mortgage loans, automobile loans, leases and subscriptions, consumer receivables, timeshare receivables, structured settlements, life settlements, whole businesses and other financial assets. Mark has developed relationships with many key players in the industry, and he enjoys connecting them with his clients and potential clients.

Mark also represents specialty finance borrowers and lenders in connection with warehouse lines of credit, whole loan sales, participations, servicing and derivative transactions, strategic alliances, and corporate governance matters.

Mark’s transactional experience also includes mergers and acquisitions and general corporate finance transactions, including representation of issuers and underwriters in public and private offerings of senior/subordinated debt securities and equity securities and representation of borrowers and lenders in secured and unsecured commercial credit facilities.

Mark is nationally recognized in Chambers USA in Capital Markets: Securitization: Asset Backed Securities (ABS). Mark received the International Law Office Client Choice Award for Securitization and Structured Finance in Texas in 2013 and in the United States in 2011. He is regularly named to Best Lawyers in America© in the areas of securitization and structured finance law and banking and finance law and was listed as the 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” for his work in Securitization and Structured Finance Law in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

Outside the Firm

In his spare time, Mark enjoys traveling, attending musical and theatrical performances, appreciating architectural and interior design, exploring new restaurants, and playing the piano.

Experience

  • Represented an automobile dealer finance company in its inaugural warehouse financing facilities.
  • Represented an auto tech company in various financings backed by automobile subscriptions for late model vehicles.
  • Represented an international trade platform in connection with bridge financings for in-transit automobiles.
  • Represented a nationally known corporate service provider in its role as the administrator and control party through various securitization transactions.
  • Represented an international timeshare loan originator in various warehouse financings and securitization transactions.
  • Represented a regional consumer finance lender in various warehouse financings and securitization transactions.
  • Represented various private credit funds as the lender in financings involving consumer and auto loan receivables, home equity lines of credit, and single family residential real estate.
  • Represented a mortgage banking subsidiary of a national bank as the issuer in connection with securitizations of nonconforming jumbo mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit.
  • Represented a subprime auto finance company as the issuer in connection with warehouse financings, residual financings, and securitizations of subprime auto receivables.
  • Represented an international auto manufacturer in the acquisition of a publicly traded subprime auto finance company.
  • Represented a private credit fund as the purchaser and lender in portfolio acquisitions and warehouse financings of subprime auto receivables.
  • Represented a private credit fund and related entities as the borrower in connection with portfolio acquisitions and warehouse financing of life settlements.
  • Represented various consumer finance companies as the issuer in connection with warehouse financings and securitizations of high LTV home equity loans (including Title I loans).
  • Represented a subprime auto finance company as the issuer in filing shelf registration statements for issuance of renewable subordinated unsecured notes.
  • Represented a subprime auto finance company in a strategic alliance with a national auto auction company.
  • Represented an underwriter in the first credit-tenant-lease commercial mortgage securitization to rely on Mexican credit.
  • Represented several state and federal financial institutions in the establishment of temporary mortgage purchase programs.

Recognitions

  • 2019–2025, Banking and Finance Law and Securitization and Structured Finance Law, Dallas-Fort Worth, listed in Best Lawyers in America© (Woodward/White, Inc.)
  • 2023, Capital Markets: Securitization: Asset Backed Securities (ABS), listed in Chambers USA
  • 2022, “Lawyer of the Year” for Securitization and Structured Finance Law, Dallas-Fort Worth, listed in Best Lawyers in America© (Woodward/White, Inc.)

Affiliations

Memberships

  • Dallas Bar Association
Professional Activities

Mark has participated in the American Bar Association, Section on Business Law’s Committee on Developments in Business Financing’s Subcommittee on Securitization of Assets and the Structured Finance Association’s Auto Issuer Subcommittee and RMBS 3.0 and Regulation AB II Taskforces.

Credentials

Admissions

  • Texas

Education

  • Southern Methodist University, BBA
  • Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, JD