Structured Finance Expert Witnesses

Mill Valley, California

Real Estate, Financial - Financial Planning & Analysis, Underwriting, Due Diligence, Capital Markets, Structured Finance, Syndication, Banking, CMBS Loan, Asset Mgmt, Shopping Center, Mixed Use, Standard of Care, Landlord/Tenant, Investor Relations, Distressed Assets, Receivership, Forensic Accounting, Economic Damage, Lic. CA Broker, Family Law

I provide Commercial Real Estate and Family Law Expert Services with extensive hands-on experience as a real estate investor, asset manager, and fractional Chief Financial Officer. My expertise is grounded in real-world ownership and operations—not theoretical or purely academic analysis—allowing me to deliver clear, supportable opinions that withstand scrutiny in litigation, arbitration, and mediation. My commercial real estate experience spans the full investment lifecycle, including opportunity identification, financial underwriting, valuation, due diligence, capital structuring, debt and equity placement, contract negotiation, leasing strategy, property and asset management, investor reporting, and disposition analysis. I have direct experience evaluating investment performance, cash flow, capital expenditures, operating budgets, and long-term value creation across multiple asset classes. I specialize in complex financial analysis related to commercial real estate disputes, in...

Los Angeles, California

Real Estate, Financial - Commercial Real Estate Finance, Mortgage, Debt, Lender, Borrower, Interest Rate, Loan Terms, Bankruptcy, CMBS, Bank, Alter Ego, Lender Liability, Loan Underwriting, Loan Origination, Joint Ventures, Structured Finance, Intercreditor, Fiduciary Duty, Brokerage Issues, Loan Servicing

I am an expert in commercial real estate finance with over 40 years of experience. I have arranged over $11 billion in financing for my developer and investor clients. I work as an active professional arranging capital placement for my clients. Therefore, I am well-versed in commercial real estate finance and related issues, as well as the current and past state of the capital markets. With over 25 years of expert witness experience, I have served as an expert witness or consultant on over three hundred matters, given deposition testimony over 150 times, and trial testimony 100 +/- times in Federal, State, and Bankruptcy courts as well as ADR proceedings. Expert testimony Issues include: Chapter 11 Interest rate determination, partnership disputes, lender/borrower disputes, landlord/tenant disputes, alter ego issues, lender liability matters, lender approval process, the suitability of financing, forensic determination of market-rate and terms of financing, economic feasibility...

Los Angeles, California

Financial, Securities & Investments - Mortgage lending, Securities ratings, Cybersecurity, Securitization, Mortgage banking, Structured finance, Commercial RE leasing, Life and annuity insurance, Financial Risk Mgmt, Mortgage & asset-backed securities, Mortgage underwriting, Reinsurance, Financial guaranty, Damages, Mortgage origination, Litigation, Data Privacy, Breach

David Steel Managing Director, Risk Management & Litigation Support Advisory, The Oakleaf Group LLC David K. Steel serves as Managing Director of Risk Management and Litigation Support Advisory for Oakleaf. In his role, David is responsible for building the firm’s Financial Services Risk Management Practice and further expanding Oakleaf’s successful litigation support advisory business. David is an experienced leader in the financial services industry, with expertise in credit risk underwriting, enterprise risk management, portfolio management, capital markets, business strategy, restructurings, and arbitrations. Before joining Oakleaf, David successfully de-risked an $8.3 billion portfolio of reinsurance credits as a consultant for American Overseas Re. He also served as Chief Risk Officer of a life and annuity reinsurance venture for one of the largest US banks, creating an ERM framework, underwriting guidelines, and corporate governance policies and procedures. David was p...