Craig Wolson, Esq.

Corporate

Derivatives

Finance

Securities

Securities fraud

Structured finance

Craig Wolson, Esq.

Craig Wolson, Esq., a specialist in securities offerings, securities fraud, derivatives, structured finance/securitization, and secured lending, has extensive experience with various financial instruments such as ABS, CLOs, MBS, CDOs, CDS, interest rate swaps, CLNs, repurchase agreements. Throughout his career, he has held senior positions at prominent law firms such as Shearman and Sterling, Mayer, Brown & Platt, and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. He has also served as an expert witness and consultant for leading litigation firms, including Berger Montague, Chapman and Cutler, and Robbins Geller.

Wolson is a frequent participant and moderator in seminars and has contributed articles to publications such as The Business Lawyer and Law 360. He co-edited a book on securitization and structured finance transactions for the American Bar Association. In the legal community, he served as Chairman of the Structured Finance Committee of the New York City Bar Association from 2004-08.

Recognized as a New York Super Lawyer, Wolson joined the American Arbitration Association’s roster of arbitrators in 2010 due to his expertise in structured finance, securities, and derivatives. He has been listed in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business for many years. In 2018, he received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.

Industry Experience

Education

Areas of Expertise

Publications

Honors and Awards

Speaking Engagements

Quotations

Keywords

Videos

Industry Experience

CRAIG A. WOLSON, ESQ

2008 - Present

Attorney, Consultant, and Expert Witness

BURGHER GRAY LLP

2022 - Present

Of Counsel

YK LAW LLP

2022 - Present

Of Counsel

AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION

2010 - Present

Arbitrator

TAYLOR LOUIS LLP

2018 - 2022

Of Counsel

LAW OFFICES OF JOHN F. LANG

2011 - 2015

Of Counsel

TULLY RINCKEY PLLC

2009 - 2012

Of Counsel

SALON MARROW DYCKMAN NEWMAN & BROUDY LLP

2008

Of Counsel

CADWALADER, WICKERSHAM & TAFT LLP

2006 - 2008

Special Counsel

DUANE MORRIS LLP

2003 - 2006

Partner

SCHULTE ROTH & ZABEL LLP

2001 - 2003

Special Counsel

MAYER, BROWN & PLATT

1999 - 2001

Counsel

BROWN & WOOD LLP

1997 - 1998

Counsel

WILLIAMS & HARRIS LLP

1995 - 1997

Partner

CHEMICAL BANK

1988 - 1995

Vice President and Assistant General Counsel

J.D. MATTUS COMPANY, INC

1985 - 1988

Secretary, General Counsel and Director

THOMSON MCKINNON SECURITIES INC

1981 - 1985

Vice President and Assistant General Counsel

SHEARMAN & STERLING

1974 - 1981

Associate

Education

University Of Michigan

1974

Juris Doctor

University Of Michigan

1971

Bachelor of Arts

Areas of Expertise

Corporate

M&A

Joint ventures

Licensing agreements

Corporate Trust Agreements

Indentures

Securities

Private placements

Rule 144A, regulation S offerings

Quarterly and annual SEC reports

Securities fraud

Finance

Asset-based lending

Secured loans

Real estate loans

Project finance loans

Repurchase (repo) agreements

Derivatives

Credit Default Swaps (CDS)

Interest rate, currency, commodity Swaps

Credit-Linked Notes (CLNs)

Structured Finance

Cash, synthetic and hybrid Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs)

Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs)

Collateralized Bond Obligations (CBOs)

Asset-Backed Securities (ABS)

Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS)

Asset-Backed Commercial Paper (ABCP)

Structured Investment Vehicles (SIVs)

Hedge funds, alternative strategies

Asset management

Publications

"The Real Estate Investment Trust: State Tax, Tort and Contract Liabilities of the Trust, Trustee and Shareholder," March 1973 Michigan Law Review (reprinted in The Real Estate Investment Trust--Problems and Opportunities (L. Oliensis ed. 1974)).

Comment letter to Financial Accounting Standards Board re Revised Exposure Draft of Proposed Amendments to FASB Statement No. 140 Relating to Transfer of Financial Assets, October 28, 2005.

Comment letter re American Securitization Forum proposal (Project RESTART RMBS Disclosure Package), August 20, 2008.

New York City Bar Association Statement to Obama Transition Team Regarding Regulation of Financial Services, December 2008.

"Special Report on the Preparation of Substantive Consolidation Opinions," published in February 2009 The Business Lawyer.

"Reviving Securitization--A Response to Critics," published in June 8, 2009 Law 360..

"Securitization in the Post-Crisis Economy: An ABA Business Law Section White Paper" (paper completed on November 20, 2009, by American Bar Association Business Law Section, presented to Congress on January 22, 2010, and sent to the FDIC on March 5, 2010).

Comment Letter to SEC dated August 17, 2010, relating to the Commission's proposed amendments to Regulation AB, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated October 29, 2010, relating to the Commission's proposed rule concerning conflicts of interest pertaining to certain securitizations, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section..

"Structuring Commercial Mortgage Securitization Special Purpose Entities After General Growth Properties," published in November 2010 Bloomberg Law Reports.

Comment Letter to Financial Stability Oversight Council dated November 8, 2010, relating to the Council's Study Regarding the Implementation of the Prohibitions on Proprietary Trading Imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated November 17, 2010 relating to the Commission's proposed requirement that an ABS issuer perform a review of the assets underlying certain ABS offerings, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated November 17, 2010, relating to the Commission's proposed rules pertaining to risku0002retention with respect to securitizations, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated November 30, 2010, relating to the Commission's proposed rule pertaining to certain requirements to be imposed on rating agencies in connection with reports accompanying credit ratings of ABS and requirements to be imposed on ABS issuers to disclose demands for repurchase of assets and whether such assets were repurchased, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated July 20, 2011, relating to the SEC's proposed rules pertaining to risk retention in transactions involving ABS, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated August 19, 2011, relating to the SEC's proposed rules pertaining to credit rating agencies, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated November 14, 2011, relating to the SEC's Concept Release relating to interpretive issues under the Investment Company Act of 1940 pertaining to the status under the Act of companies that are engaged in the business of acquiring mortgages and mortgage-related instruments, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section

Comment Letter to SEC dated November 15, 2011, relating to the SEC's proposed changes to Rule 3a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (in particular, to delete the investment-grade ratings requirement of the Rule), submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated November 16, 2011, relating to the SEC's re-proposal of the shelf eligibility conditions for ABS, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated February 13, 2012, relating to the SEC's proposed rule relating to the prohibition against conflicts of interest in certain securitizations, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Supplemental Comment Letter to SEC dated August 10, 2012, relating to the SEC's proposed rules pertaining to risk retention in transactions involving ABS, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to Uniform Law Commission dated May 2, 2013 relating to the Commission's proposed Residential Real Estate Mortgage Foreclosure Process and Protections Act, submitted by the Securitization and Structured Finance Committee of the American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to Uniform Law Commission dated November 8, 2013 relating to the Commission's proposed Residential Real Estate Mortgage Foreclosure Process and Protections Act, submitted by the Securitization and Structured Finance Committee of the American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated November 12, 2013 relating to reproposal of rules pertaining to risk retention in transactions involving ABS, released jointly by the OCC, the Federal Reserve Board, the FDIC, the SEC, the Federal Housing Finance Agency and HUD; submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated May 6, 2014 relating to two proposing releases pertaining to asset-backed securities (ABS)—in particular, the disclosure of asset-level information; submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

"Annual Review of Federal Securities Regulation," published in Summer 2015 The Business Lawyer.

White Paper dated October 5, 2015, entitled "Issues in Securitization" and based on an educational program presented by the Structured Finance Committee of the New York City Bar Association (Craig A. Wolson, Founder and Chair from 2004-08) on April 14, 2015.

Comment Letter to the U.S. House of Representatives dated June 15, 2016 and relating to H.R. 4620, the Preserving Access to CRE Capital [through the commercial mortgage-backed securities market] Act of 2016, submitted by the Structured Finance Committee of the New York City Bar Association (Craig A. Wolson, Founder and Chair from 2004- 08).

Comment Letter to the U.S. House of Representatives dated June 15, 2016 and relating to H.R. 4166, the Expanding Proven Financing for American Employers Act (intended to provide tailored credit risk retention requirements to certain qualifying collateralized loan obligations), submitted by the Structured Finance Committee of the New York City Bar Association (Craig A. Wolson, Founder and Chair from 2004-08).

Comment Letter to the U.S. Department of the Treasury dated August 5, 2016 and relating to the Treasury's White Paper issued on May 10, 2016 entitled "Opportunities and Challenges in Online Marketplace Lending," submitted by the Structured Finance Committee of the New York City Bar Association (Craig A. Wolson, Founder and Chair from 2004-08).

Comment Letter to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System dated June 5, 2020 relating to TALF, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System dated July 29, 2020 relating to the Board's Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility ("TALF"), submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

"A Call for Industry Awareness of Risks Relating to Residual Interests in Securitizations," published in December 2021 Business Law Today.

"Model Form of Limited Liability Company Agreement," published in Fall 2022 Business Lawyer.

"Bankruptcy Remoteness: A Summary Analysis," published in Fall 2022 Business Lawyer.

Frequently Used Terms in Securitization and Structured Finance Transactions (V. Tucker and C. Wolson ed. 2015)

“Effects of Inflation on the Capital Markets,” James A. Kyprios and Craig A. Wolson, Securities Experts Roundtable, January 26, 2023.

Comment Letter to SEC dated April 5, 2023, relating to the Commission's re-proposed rule concerning conflicts of interest pertaining to certain securitizations, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated November 17, 2023, relating to the issuance by the staff of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance of a Compliance and Disclosure Interpretation addressing the question as to when transaction agreements must be filed in order to be considered timely for purposes of Form 𝑆𝐹3 eligibility. The letter was submitted by the Federal Regulation of Securities Committee and the Securitization and Structured Finance Committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association

Honors and Awards

Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders

1987

NY City Bar Association Project Finance Committee

2000 - 2003

Member (appointed)

NY City Bar Association Securities Regulation Committee

1994 - 1997

Member (appointed)

NY City Bar Association Corporation Law Committee

2003 - 2006

Member (appointed)

NY City Bar Association Corporation Law Committee

1997 - 2000

Member (appointed)

National Moot Court Competition

2016 - 2021

Judge, 66th, 67th, 68th, 69th, 70th, and 71st Annual Competition

Who’s Who in the East

1989 - Present

Who’s Who in Finance and Business

1989 - Present

Who’s Who in American Law

1986 - Present

Who’s Who in America

1992 - Present

Who’s Who in the World

1993 - Present

Who’s Who in the World

1989 - 1990

NY City Bar Association Structured Finance Committee

2004 - Present

Chairman and/or Member (appointed)

American Arbitration Association

2010 - Present

Arbitrator (specializing in structured finance, securities, and derivatives matters)

Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award

2018 - Present

Speaking Engagements

"Seminar on Securitization of Project Finance Loans"/ New York City Bar Association

April 2003

“What Every Finance Lawyer Needs to Know About Securitization,” New York City Bar Association, May 2007/ New York City Bar Association

May 2007

"The Upheaval in the Subprime Market: The Direct and Indirect Effects of Same on the Structured Finance Market"/ New York City Bar Association

January 2008

Quotations

“Deutsche Bank Pegs its Derivatives Exposure at About $22 Billion—and Faces Challenges in Shedding Those Assets,”

July 28, 2019 - July 28, 2019

Expert Keywords

1934 Act compliance
1940 Act compliance (Form ADV)
ABS
acquisition financings
asset-backed securities
commodity derivatives
consulting agreements
corporate governance
Corporate trust agreements
credit default derivatives
credit default swap (CDS)
currency derivatives
derivatives
dissolution agreements
distributor agreements
employment agreements
equity derivatives
franchise agreements
indentures
intercreditor agreements
interest rate derivatives
interest rate swaps
joint venture agreements
lease financing
letter of credit transactions
limited recourse financings
litigation supervision
loan documents
M&A agreements
mortgage-backed securities (MBS)
partnership agreements
preferred stock terms
private placements
project financing
proxies
proxy statements
public offerings (debt and equity)
purchase and license agreements
Reg 144A
Reg D
Reg FD
Reg S
registration rights agreements
Regulation S offerings
repurchase (repo) agreements
reverse repurchase (reverse repo) agreements
Rule 144A offerings
Section 16 compliance
secured loans
securities fraud
securitizations
shareholder agreements
shareholder proposals
software development agreements
stock option plans
structured finance transactions
structured products
subordination agreements
syndicated and single-lender asset-based loans
synthetic loans
technology agreements
vendor agreements
workouts

Home of the best experts

Craig Wolson, Esq.

Craig Wolson, Esq.

Industry Experience

CRAIG A. WOLSON, ESQ

2008 - Present

BURGHER GRAY LLP

2022 - Present

YK LAW LLP

2022 - Present

AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION

2010 - Present

TAYLOR LOUIS LLP

2018 - 2022

LAW OFFICES OF JOHN F. LANG

2011 - 2015

TULLY RINCKEY PLLC

2009 - 2012

SALON MARROW DYCKMAN NEWMAN & BROUDY LLP

2008

CADWALADER, WICKERSHAM & TAFT LLP

2006 - 2008

DUANE MORRIS LLP

2003 - 2006

SCHULTE ROTH & ZABEL LLP

2001 - 2003

MAYER, BROWN & PLATT

1999 - 2001

BROWN & WOOD LLP

1997 - 1998

WILLIAMS & HARRIS LLP

1995 - 1997

CHEMICAL BANK

1988 - 1995

J.D. MATTUS COMPANY, INC

1985 - 1988

THOMSON MCKINNON SECURITIES INC

1981 - 1985

SHEARMAN & STERLING

1974 - 1981

Education

University Of Michigan

1974

University Of Michigan

1971

Areas of Expertise

Corporate

Securities

Finance

Derivatives

Structured Finance

Publications

"The Real Estate Investment Trust: State Tax, Tort and Contract Liabilities of the Trust, Trustee and Shareholder," March 1973 Michigan Law Review (reprinted in The Real Estate Investment Trust--Problems and Opportunities (L. Oliensis ed. 1974)).

Comment letter to Financial Accounting Standards Board re Revised Exposure Draft of Proposed Amendments to FASB Statement No. 140 Relating to Transfer of Financial Assets, October 28, 2005.

Comment letter re American Securitization Forum proposal (Project RESTART RMBS Disclosure Package), August 20, 2008.

New York City Bar Association Statement to Obama Transition Team Regarding Regulation of Financial Services, December 2008.

"Special Report on the Preparation of Substantive Consolidation Opinions," published in February 2009 The Business Lawyer.

"Reviving Securitization--A Response to Critics," published in June 8, 2009 Law 360..

"Securitization in the Post-Crisis Economy: An ABA Business Law Section White Paper" (paper completed on November 20, 2009, by American Bar Association Business Law Section, presented to Congress on January 22, 2010, and sent to the FDIC on March 5, 2010).

Comment Letter to SEC dated August 17, 2010, relating to the Commission's proposed amendments to Regulation AB, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated October 29, 2010, relating to the Commission's proposed rule concerning conflicts of interest pertaining to certain securitizations, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section..

"Structuring Commercial Mortgage Securitization Special Purpose Entities After General Growth Properties," published in November 2010 Bloomberg Law Reports.

Comment Letter to Financial Stability Oversight Council dated November 8, 2010, relating to the Council's Study Regarding the Implementation of the Prohibitions on Proprietary Trading Imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated November 17, 2010 relating to the Commission's proposed requirement that an ABS issuer perform a review of the assets underlying certain ABS offerings, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated November 17, 2010, relating to the Commission's proposed rules pertaining to risku0002retention with respect to securitizations, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated July 20, 2011, relating to the SEC's proposed rules pertaining to risk retention in transactions involving ABS, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated August 19, 2011, relating to the SEC's proposed rules pertaining to credit rating agencies, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated November 15, 2011, relating to the SEC's proposed changes to Rule 3a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (in particular, to delete the investment-grade ratings requirement of the Rule), submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated November 16, 2011, relating to the SEC's re-proposal of the shelf eligibility conditions for ABS, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated February 13, 2012, relating to the SEC's proposed rule relating to the prohibition against conflicts of interest in certain securitizations, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Supplemental Comment Letter to SEC dated August 10, 2012, relating to the SEC's proposed rules pertaining to risk retention in transactions involving ABS, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to Uniform Law Commission dated May 2, 2013 relating to the Commission's proposed Residential Real Estate Mortgage Foreclosure Process and Protections Act, submitted by the Securitization and Structured Finance Committee of the American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to Uniform Law Commission dated November 8, 2013 relating to the Commission's proposed Residential Real Estate Mortgage Foreclosure Process and Protections Act, submitted by the Securitization and Structured Finance Committee of the American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to SEC dated May 6, 2014 relating to two proposing releases pertaining to asset-backed securities (ABS)—in particular, the disclosure of asset-level information; submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

"Annual Review of Federal Securities Regulation," published in Summer 2015 The Business Lawyer.

White Paper dated October 5, 2015, entitled "Issues in Securitization" and based on an educational program presented by the Structured Finance Committee of the New York City Bar Association (Craig A. Wolson, Founder and Chair from 2004-08) on April 14, 2015.

Comment Letter to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System dated June 5, 2020 relating to TALF, submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

Comment Letter to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System dated July 29, 2020 relating to the Board's Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility ("TALF"), submitted by American Bar Association Business Law Section.

"A Call for Industry Awareness of Risks Relating to Residual Interests in Securitizations," published in December 2021 Business Law Today.

"Model Form of Limited Liability Company Agreement," published in Fall 2022 Business Lawyer.