Charles Cross

About Charles Cross

Extensive experience in documenting, negotiating and closing large commercial structured finance, equipment lease and asset-backed finance transactions; portfolio management; and direction of work-outs, restructuring and outside litigation and bankruptcies. Established legal departments at several companies including start-ups, rapidly growing independent finance companies and national bank subsidiaries, delivering high-value and comprehensive legal services while cutting outside legal costs. Experienced in delivering efficient, effective services via judicious utilization of outside counsel, standardization of forms, policies, and procedures, and extensive training and development of senior executive teams and staff. Collaborative leader skilled in building consensus, gaining buy-in, and rallying teams around company business goals and objectives. Over 25 years of equipment leasing and finance expertise, including General Counsel and Senior Counsel positions at equipment finance subsidiaries of Wells Fargo Bank, Key Bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and Fleet Bank. Served on the Legal Committee of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association and is a frequent speaker at ELFA conferences. Has authored numerous articles and seminar presentations on a wide variety of equipment leasing and finance topics and is a Contributing Editor of Banking and Lending Institution Forms published by LexisNexis A.S. Pratt responsible for the Equipment Leasing chapter.Specialties: Equipment and Asset Based Leasing and LendingCorporate, Structured and Project Finance Commercial Contract Documentation, Policies & Procedures Mergers and Acquisitions - Due Diligence, Structuring and DocumentationPrivate Debt and Equity Placements & Portfolio Purchases and SalesVendor Program Agreements Software Finance and LicensingManagement of Legal, Operations, Collections and Asset Management Disciplines Work-outs, Restructuring and Management of Outside Counsel Regulatory Compliance

Experience

1. Assistant General Counsel and Executive Director

   Wells Fargo

   Feb 2011 — Present · Boston, MA, US

   Senior Lead Counsel for Wells Fargo Equipment Finance and Wells Fargo Trade Capital (factoring) lines of business. Drafting, negotiating and closing equipment leasing and financing transactions, software leases and asset-based leases and loans for transactions between $500K and $500MM in the United States, Canada and internationally. Drafting, negotiating and closing portfolio purchase and sale facilities with equipment lessors and finance companies and multiple debt and equity sources; master purchase agreements and assignments with manufacturers and vendors, including true sales, discounting programs, private label programs, servicing agreements and residual purchase and finance programs. Primary responsibility for general equipment leasing and finance, vendor programs, aircraft, rail and vessel finance, technology and software finance. Primary responsibility for oversight and direction of asset-backed factoring line of business. Creating and implementing documentation, titling and lien perfection policies and procedures and training sales, operations and credit staff. Portfolio and individual lease debt and equity purchases and sales. Federal and state regulatory compliance including licensing, sales and use tax, bank regulatory compliance including OFAC and BSA.

Education

• Bates College

  B.A. with Honors

• Rutgers Law School

  JD, Law

• Bates College

  BA Honors, Political Science, Economics, Philosophy

Skills

• Structured Finance
• Financial Structuring
• Due Diligence
• Private Equity
• Asset Management
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Negotiation
• Restructuring
• Corporate Law
• Licensing
• Finance
• Corporate Governance
• Fraud Detection
• Portfolio Management
• Mergers
• Contract Negotiation
• Loans
• Management
• Capital Markets
• Litigation
• Executive Management
• Policy
• Nonprofits
• Work-Outs
• Public Speaking
• Project Finance
• Commercial Lending
• Banking
• Bankruptcy