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John is a Partner in our New York office.  

John represents lenders, pension fund advisers, syndicators and commercial mortgage servicers and special servicers in various aspects of real estate finance and real estate structured finance. 

John’s practice concentrates on securitized commercial real estate loans, affiliated debt products, structured finance and the resolution of nonperforming or sub-performing real estate assets. More specifically, John brings a thorough understanding of real estate mortgage investment conduit (REMIC) regulations and the way they impact commercial mortgage origination and loan servicing, including servicing publicly-traded commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) trusts, as well as legal risk management in entrepreneurial and developing businesses.

Prior to joining Eversheds Sutherland (US), John served as vice president and associate counsel for GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corporation, where he managed the legal representation for various GMAC subsidiaries involved in commercial mortgage origination, servicing, brokering and resolution. He was responsible for establishing ongoing legal support for a mortgage servicing outsourcing operation in Hyderabad, India, and providing legal support to GMAC mortgage operations in Tokyo. Prior to its acquisition by GMAC, John was general counsel of CapMark Services L.P., and general counsel for CapMark’s predecessor, AMRESCO Services L.P. During his time with CapMark and AMRESCO, John closed in excess of 100 commercial mortgage-backed securities transactions representing approximately $160 billion in commercial mortgage servicing rights.

  • Represented Empower in its acquisition of MassMutual’s retirement services business for a total transaction value of $3.35 billion.
  • Represented Empower in its acquisition of Prudential’s retirement plan business for a total transaction value of $3.55 billion.
  • Recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the areas of structured finance: securitization (2021-2023), real estate (2016-2017, 2021) and real estate finance (2021-2023)
  • Recognized by The Legal 500 United States as a "Leading Lawyer" in the area of real estate finance (2021-2023)
  • Honored with BTI Consulting Group's Client Service Award for delivering unsurpassed client service (2018)

Member, Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Finance Council
Member, American Bar Association
Member, State Bar of Georgia
Member, Atlanta Bar Association
Member, Commercial Real Estate Finance Section, Mortgage Bankers Association

  • Georgia
  • New York
  • B.A., Duquesne University
  • J.D., University of Houston Law Center
Gittings Global - NE111426
John Benson

Partner

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