Ryan Thompson concentrates his practice on equipment finance, commercial lending, floorplan finance, asset-based lending, and creditors’ rights. He has over a decade of experience that spans outside and in-house counsel roles, giving him valuable insight into the operational and cultural mores of financial institutions.
Before joining Womble, Ryan was senior counsel at one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, where he was lead counsel for the dealer floorplan business, aviation finance, and commercial and corporate banking in the Northeastern United States. He was also the primary legal support for Aviation Finance.
In addition to being primary support for those businesses, Ryan was the legal department’s expert on Article 9 and Article 2A issues under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), inventory finance, leasing, municipal lease finance, and motor vehicle titling law issues. He was also involved in state and federal compliance efforts.
Ryan also has experience supporting vendor finance business from his time working for the U.S. subsidiary of a European bank’s equipment finance business. This gave Ryan additional exposure to the workings of a foreign financial institution operating in the United States.
Representative Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Served as lead counsel for a national bank’s dealer finance business, including documenting floorplan, real estate, and other credit facilities, negotiating intercreditor agreements with other lenders, maintaining standard documentation, assisting in product development, and integrating an 85-dealer relationship portfolio acquired from another financial institution as a result of a merger.
- Served as market counsel for a national bank’s Mid-Atlantic commercial and corporate banking and equipment finance operations, including documenting and negotiating loan and lease facilities along with other bank products.
- Negotiated and managed the acquisition of several equipment loan and lease portfolios from other financial institutions and captive finance companies including preparation of the assignment agreement and coordinating due diligence of the portfolio.
- Remediated two inventory finance portfolios at the U.S. subsidiary of a foreign bank for UCC and documentation deficiencies.
- Served as subject matter expert on UCC Article 9 perfection issues at two financial institutions with a particular focus on purchase money security interest and inventory financing.
- Negotiated vendor program agreements for retail, wholesale, and inventory finance programs in the construction, agricultural, office equipment, technology, clean technology, health care, and sports spaces with programs containing loss pools, vendor recourse, and revenue sharing.
- Served as internal and external workout counsel for various commercial loan and leasing facilities for financial institutions and third-party debt buyers, including addressing “sale out of trust” events with equipment dealers.
- Provided training to sales, credit, legal, operations, and workout personnel on UCC issues, including purchase money security interest, equipment finance, and inventory finance.
- Loan and lease documentation experience representing lenders/lessors, including:
- $225 million floorplan facility with 26 co-borrowers,
- $300 million floorplan and term debt facility with intercreditor agreements with six other lenders,
- A large rental house with nine co-borrowers and 12 other lenders requiring lien priority and intercreditor agreements,
- $120 million lease facility with a Fortune 500 company requiring the use of their own lease forms,
- $50 million dealer credit facility with a U.S. parent and Canadian subsidiaries and collateral located in both countries,
- $36 million operating loan and equipment loan credit facility for a beverage distributor, and
- Preparation of intercompany credit facilities for the North American operations of the subsidiary of a European financial institution.
Professional Engagment
- Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), Legal Committee, Government Affairs Subcommittee
Thought Leadership
- Presenter, ELFA Legal Forum 2020 and 2024
- Author, “The Law Says It Is Inventory,” ELFA Magazine, October 2020
