1. $5M SBA 7a- Retained by SBA attorney to replace an inexperienced title company to insure a ground lease for Tenant and the Leasehold Mortgage for Lender as well as the Holding Company Mortgage required to be recorded in multiple jurisdictions. Was able to structure aggregation and save the client $43,000 in unnecessary title, transfer and recordation taxes. 

2. Large Estate buyout transaction of a large industrial building. Recommended and obtained an ALTA survey that showed an abandoned B&O (CSX) bisecting the building. Assisted the client in negotiating the purchase of the right of way from CSX, a 9-month process, and was able to proceed with closing and insuring Lender, deleting survey matters.  

3. Assemblage, Simultaneous Closing and Insuring of multiple properties purchased from multiple owners, individuals and estates, in litigation, enabling the developer to create a major housing subdivision. Required negotiation and execution of multiple documents with an incarcerated person at the state prison. 

4. SBA 504 Pennsylvania transaction for a private school that required curative services to enable the initial transaction and subsequent take-out of the Lender’s interim mortgage.

5. SBA 7a Virginia transaction closing and insuring multiple properties in various jurisdictions and the sale of the business assets.

6. SBA 7a Arizona Secondary Collateral Insurance transaction involving multiple properties securing the SBA 7a loan, wherein the properties were vested in different trusts, and situate in multiple jurisdictions. Obtained approval to issue the ALTA 12-06, aggregating multiple loan policies for lender and title insurance premiums to save clients considerable costs.

7. Multi-state Ground Lease Purchases and fee simple reversions for a major franchisee of an international restaurant chain in the Midwest. Simultaneous closings on purchases of multiple pad sites in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia, insuring a credit facility credit line transaction. 

8. Obtaining Reversionary Interests in unclaimed ground leases.  A foreign developer unfamiliar with ground leases purchased a large property to develop a multifamily townhome project.  The developer was not advised by his broker or the title agent that in a subdivision where lots are straddled by leaseholds neither Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac will insure, and therefore an initial $3M investment sat dormant. A consultant introduced the client to Gary, who retained an  experienced surveyor to assist in an SDAT redemption  of the ancient unregistered ground rents.  Fee simple certificates were obtained from SDAT for the multiple ground rents, and we insured fee simple title to the subdivision and the $8M project successfully moved forward.  

 9.  1031 Forward and Reverse purchases of retail centers. Simultaneous 911 closings on multi-state retail centers, with Purchaser and Seller participating in time sensitive exchange transactions, each requiring insuring over identified risks.   

10. DEAD MAN'S CURVE.  The Client’s land use attorney contacted me after the originating title agency would not insure marketable title to a parcel of land that bisected the property being developed into a major mixed-use development. Although the landowners met the state requirements to obtain a fee simple title by adverse possession, underwriters require a court order to insure marketability.

History: Through the passage of the Turnpike Act of 1812, Laws of Maryland, Nov. Sess. 1812, Chapter 78 (the “Act”), the Maryland General Assembly chartered the Washington and Baltimore Turnpike Company (the “Turnpike Company”) to construct and operate a turnpike road between the District of

Columbia and the Baltimore City. Our engagement was to obtain absolute fee simple interest in the remnant parcel for our client. We retained the assistance of a renowned boundary retracement surveyor, and by an extensive search of 1000s of title instruments, we could identify one individual who became record title owner in 1772. Ownership of the Dead Man’s Curve roadbed was never granted to the Turnpike Company or the State of Maryland. Instead, the development and use of this roadbed was through prescriptive easement only. In 1942, the Baltimore & Washington Boulevard (Route 1) was realigned to eliminate the portion of the turnpike that became known for its many accidents as “Dead Man's Curve”.  After the results of our search became apparent that there were at least 300 possible claimants to the remnant, we were granted permission by the Court to serve notice by publication. The process took three years (Covid had closed the state archives for much of the period), entailed over 3000 records being examined, publication, and a military service search to prepare affidavits of the possible heirs in service. The team effort resulted in a court order issuing absolute (marketable) title to the landowners, the sellers to our client. The project is on track to begin grading in late 2025 or early 2026.