The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Netherlands > Banking and finance: asset finance and structured finance

Clifford Chance’s group head Pieter van Welzen is praised for his ‘extensive knowledge and experience’. Fellow co-lead Hein Tonnaer is advising a group of banks on the re-financing of two EdgeConneX data centres in Amsterdam and Dublin. He is also assisting Blue Elephant Energy with financing two solar park installations in the Netherlands. Esther Griffioen is also noted.

The ‘high-quality’ team at NautaDutilh is led by Arjan Scheltema and the ‘innovative, exceptional’ Michaëla Ulrici. The latter is acting for Venn Partners on its residential mortgage-backed securities transaction. Duco Harmsen was promoted to senior associate in April 2018.

The expanding team at Simmons & Simmons handles a variety of mandates, from securitisations and covered bonds, to mortgage platforms and portfolio sales. ‘Quick and thorough’ group head Jeroen Bos and the ‘knowledgeable’ Peter Voorhees advised Coöperatieve Rabobank on two debt and bond issuances for F. van Lanschot Bankiers, valued at €12bn. The duo also assisted with a €2bn structured note programme for F. van Lanschot Bankiers as issuer. The ‘pragmatic’ Rezah Stegeman negotiated a complex collateral agreement for MN, a Dutch asset manager, with a top-three UK bank. Vincent Engel and Niek Groenendijk were promoted to senior associate.

Baker McKenzie’s team advises clients on complex public- and private-term financing deals, single and multi-sector conduit securitisations and supply chain financings across a variety of asset classes. Practice co-head Philippe Steffens advised Argenta Spaarbank on €1.2bn Dutch residential mortgage-backed securities. Fellow co-head Corinne Schot also acts for many of the group’s high-profile clients.

At Houthoff, André de Neve is advising Petrobras Global Trading and Petroleo Brasileiro Petrobras on a $5bn term facility agreement entered into between Petrobras and China Development Bank. Practice head Loet Venrooy assisted Van Dalen Dordrecht, a Rotterdam scrap metal company, with its restructuring and sale. Real estate and acquisition financing are other areas of strength.

Loyens & Loeff’s team has core strengths in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) car lease and trade receivables transactions. A major client is Obvion, which the firm acted for on all five of its new RMBS transactions. The team, which is headed by the ‘stand-out and unrivalled’ Mariëtte van ‘t Westeinde and Willem Jarigsma, includes senior associates Evelien Bougie, and Marijke van der Weide. Jarigsma recently re-joined the team in April 2018, having been head of the firm’s management.

The structured and asset finance team at Stibbe is led by Maarten de Bruin and Rein van Helden. Van Helden has expertise in cross-border leveraged finance transactions, syndicated lending, restructurings and bond transactions. The duo advised Goldman Sachs International and commodities trading firm J. Aron & Company on the asset/commodity finance transaction with Damco Aluminium Delfzijl Coöperatie. Robert Steeg was promoted to counsel and Suzanne van Boheemen was promoted to senior associate. Joannes de Bont departed to Bond Advocaten.

The ‘competent and commercial’ group at AKD is led by Vincent Bettonville, who advises on a range of mainstream bank lending, acquisition finance, structured finance, asset finance and project finance transactions. Cathelijn Frederiks joined as counsel in September 2017 from NautaDutilh.

Eduard Scheenstra leads CMS’ practice, and is advising Münchener Hypothekenbank on a €29m refinancing of an existing loan for telecom service provider KPN’s BGV IV fund. He also assisted investor Robus Capital with its complicated financial and pan-European corporate restructuring of Beate Uhse, the Frankfurt-listed retailer.

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek’s team has a particular focus on US lease financing, aviation and rolling stock financing, project financing work and Tier 1 and securitisation leasing among others. The team assisted NS Reizigers with a controlled auction for the sale-and-leaseback of 45 Traxx locomotive trains. It also advised Vion Food Group on refinancing its working capital facility of €200m. Menno Stoffer, Niek Biegman and Ferdinand Hengst are noted.

Dentons’ structured and asset finance team was bolstered by the addition of five individuals from Baker McKenzie in October 2017, including Marcel Janssen, who is heading the practice. The group advised DBRS Ratings Limited on the Dutch aspects of a potential commercial mortgage-backed securities transaction regarding a €33m facility agreement between Goldman Sachs as lender and loan seller and Merin Property for the financing of a large Dutch commercial property portfolio.

Hogan Lovells International LLP’s ‘extremely knowledgeable’ practice is headed by Robert Masman and Wouter Jongen. The team specialises in structured finance work, including securitisation, covered bonds, trade receivables financing, asset-based finance and real estate finance and finance linked-derivatives. Masman is acting for ABN Amro Bank as issuer on the establishment of its second retained covered bonds programme.

The ‘sensible’ Charles Destrée leads the ‘solid’ structured and asset finance team at Lexence, focusing on structuring and documenting financing arrangements and mergers and acquisitions, structuring and restructuring investment funds and regulatory advice for financial institutions. He is advising a Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners investment fund on its financing for the acquisition of its public tender offer for VTG Rail.

Norton Rose Fulbright’s team has core strengths in the aviation and transportation sectors. The team is jointly headed by Berend Crans, who specialises in aviation matters, and Wouter Hertzberger, who focuses on ship financing and has acted for both ship owners and lenders.

Van Doorne has particular strengths in financing in the healthcare M&A and private equity sectors, as well as structured and asset financing for financial institutions. Roel Botter is a key partner in the practice.