Hunton Andrews Kurth Strengthens Structured Finance Practice with Addition of Serena Mentor as Counsel in New York

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP continues the expansion of its structured finance and securitization practice with the addition of industry veteran Serena M. Mentor as counsel in New York.

Mentor has longstanding experience representing issuers, sponsors, underwriters, agents, trustees and services in connection with public and private asset-backed securitization transactions, with a special focus on mortgage and mortgage-related assets.

“Serena is widely recognized for her securitization work, and our partners have known her for nearly 20 years, most recently in her role as senior capital markets counsel at Wells Fargo Bank,” said Thomas Y. Hiner, who heads the firm’s structured finance and securitization practice with Michael Nedzbala. “She is highly respected for her experience, engagement with the industry, strategic advice, and positive results for her clients.”

Hunton Andrews Kurth has advised issuers and underwriters in thousands of public and private transactions involving newly originated “non-QM” mortgage loans, re-performing, performing and non-performing mortgage loans and REO properties involving the issuance of more than $1 trillion of securities.

“Serena will immediately fill the need we have in our residential mortgage-backed securities practice for an additional deal leader,” noted Brent Lewis, who leads the firm’s RMBS practice with Eric Burner.

Mentor received her undergraduate degree from Colgate University and her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. She is an active member of the RMBS-related committees of the Structured Finance Industry Group and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

Hunton Andrews Kurth’s structured finance and securitization practice is at the vanguard of the development of securitization and structured finance techniques, having represented the issuer of the first REMIC program backed by the full faith and credit of the United States; the first auto loan synthetic securitization transaction; the first RMBS structure involving the issuance of floating-rate securities; the first securitization of re-performing FHA and VA loans; the first master trust servicer advance securitization structure in 2002; the groundbreaking first GSE/Agency credit risk transfer issuances in 2013; and most recently the development of the master trust recourse securitization structure for mortgage servicing rights, combining term ABS notes and revolving lines of credit.