Tara E. Castillo

• 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.
• Advises 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 a guarantor in several state-certified capital finance company transactions. 
• Counsel to first trade receivables financing for a European client. 
• Counsel to several major financial services providers in connection with repurchase agreements with national banks.

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, sellers, servicers, trustees, rating agencies, and other transaction parties across a wide variety of asset classes, including auto loans, consumer loans, credit card receivables, equipment, insurance premium finance loans, leases, merchant advance loans, residential mortgages, and trade receivables. She has also represented financial institutions and nonbank finance companies serving as lessors and lessees in equipment lease transactions.

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

Tara has been consistently named to the Washington, D.C. “Rising Stars” list by Super Lawyers since 2014, and in 2015 was named a finalist for Washington, D.C. SmartCEO magazine’s CPA & ESQ Awards in the category of "Rising Star."

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