Tara E. Castillo

• Represented a consumer finance company in connection with its inaugural 144A securitization of large consumer loans.
• Represented a diversified consumer finance company in connection with an amortizing term loan secured by subprime auto receivables. 
• Represented a diversified consumer finance company, together with eight of its originator subsidiaries, in connection with a warehouse facility secured by large consumer loans. 
• Represented a leading insurance premium finance lender in several financings, including a multibank conduit funded credit facility secured by insurance premium finance loans. 
• Represented a U.S. finance subsidiary of a global automobile manufacturer in its public auto securitization program and executed 29 public auto securitization transactions totaling $35 billion. 
• Represented a U.S. finance subsidiary of a global automobile manufacturer in its issuance of medium-term notes in the U.S. and Europe pursuant to its $25 billion program and $11 billion program, respectively.
• Represented a South Korean senior lender in its first U.S. cross-border investment in the form of a $25 million secured loan to a marketplace lender and 10 of its originator subsidiaries.
• Counsel to the leading U.S. provider of packaging solutions for a wide variety of consumer products in its trade receivables and supplier finance programs.
• Counsel to a car-leasing startup and its subsidiaries in connection with warehouse financings of auto leases. 
• Counsel to one of the world’s largest chemical companies on the U.S.-related legal aspects of its €1.5 billion multinational trade receivables loan facility. 
• Counsel to a U.S. lease and finance subsidiary of a Japanese bank as lessor in small- and medium-ticket lease transactions. 
• Counsel to a major nationally recognized statistical rating organization advising on legal compliance with the Dodd–Frank Act.
• Counsel to an NBA team equity owner as lessee in an equipment lease transaction relating to LED, broadcast, and audio equipment and marquees. 
• Counsel to first trade receivables financing for a European client. 

Tara Eliza Castillo is a partner in Alston & Bird’s Finance Group and co-leader of the Auto Finance Team. She represents clients in warehouse financings, structured finance, securitizations, and other asset-backed transactions. Tara has experience representing issuers, underwriters, placement agents, borrowers, lenders, trustees, rating agencies, and other transaction parties across a broad spectrum of asset classes, including auto loans and leases, consumer loans, credit card receivables, equipment, insurance premium finance loans, merchant advance loans, residential mortgages, and trade receivables. Her experience also includes representing financial institutions and nonbank finance companies in equipment lease transactions.

Tara also regularly advises clients on regulatory compliance issues relating to the securitization aspects of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and Regulation AB II.

Tara was named to the 2019 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^© in the area of securitization and structured finance law. Tara was recently recognized as one of Law360’s “Top Attorneys Under 40” in the area of capital markets and has been consistently recognized by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” since 2014.

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia
• New York

Education

• American University (J.D., 2007)
• New York University (M.A., 2003)
• American University (B.A., 2002)

Memberships