Practices

Housing Bonds

The firm's powerhouse housing practice is well known in the industry. Our attorneys represent public and private lenders, underwriters, tax credit syndicators, government-sponsored enterprises, and government agencies in all aspects of housing transactions. These transactions involve state, local, and private agency programs and the issuance of single-family and multifamily bonds, in addition to Freddie Mac, HUD, GNMA, and Fannie Mae programs.

In the tax-exempt bond area, we handle:

  • FHA-insured mortgage transactions
  • Housing bond financings for 501(c)(3) organizations and governments
  • HOPE VI transactions
  • Low-income housing tax credits transactions
  • Market rate 80/20 and assisted living transactions
  • Project-based Section 8 transactions 

We have served as bond counsel or underwriter's counsel for more than one-quarter of the nation's state housing agencies, as well as for numerous local housing finance agencies and authorities. In 2015, Thomson Reuters ranked us 3rd in the nation as bond counsel for single-family housing transactions.

We also represent Freddie Mac on an ongoing basis as counsel for its tax-exempt bond credit enhancement and securitization programs.

Experience 

Ballard Spahr has represented SunAmerica Affordable Housing Partners, Inc., and Alliant Capital on both nine percent and four percent low-income housing tax credit syndications. Other experience includes these transactions:

Agency

Role

Alabama Housing Finance Authority Special Tax Counsel – all single family transactions since 1988
California Housing Finance Agency Underwriter's Counsel – single family transactions on a rotating basis since 1993
District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency Bond Counsel – single family transactions on a rotating basis since 1994
Idaho Housing and Finance Association Bond Counsel or Underwriter's Counsel – all single family and multi-family transactions since 1976
Maryland Community Development Administration Bond Counsel – all single family transactions since 1993
New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Underwriter's Counsel – single family and multi-family transactions and capital grant financings since 2002
New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority Bond Counsel – all single family and multi-family transactions since 1993
Oregon Housing and Community Services Department Underwriter's Counsel – all multi-family transactions since 2001
Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency Bond Counsel – single family and multi-family transactions and capital grant financings since 1986
Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation Bond Counsel – multi-family transactions since 2000
Tennessee Housing Development Agency Bond Counsel – all single family transactions 1991 – 1996; Special Bond Counsel for short-term convertible notes program since 1997
Utah Housing Corporation Bond Counsel – all single family and multi-family transactions since 1983