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PRACTICE AREAS

Commercial Lending, Finance & Foreclosure Attorney in Middle Tennessee

Legal Representation for Lenders, Investors, Businesses, and Borrowers

Commercial loans require carefully drafted documents, properly perfected collateral interests, and a clear enforcement strategy if the borrower defaults. Pratt Law represents financial institutions, private lenders, investors, developers, business owners, and borrowers in commercial lending and finance matters throughout Middle Tennessee.

Attorney Ryan Pratt assists clients with documenting new loans, securing commercial obligations, restructuring troubled debt, and enforcing loan documents through foreclosure and litigation. Whether a transaction involves commercial real estate, business assets, a revolving line of credit, acquisition financing, or a privately funded loan, Pratt Law provides practical legal counsel focused on protecting the client’s financial and legal interests.

Commercial Loan Documentation

Strong loan documents define the parties’ obligations and establish the lender’s rights before a default occurs. Pratt Law prepares, reviews, and negotiates commercial financing documents tailored to the structure, collateral, and risks of each transaction.

Commercial loan documentation services include:

  • Commercial promissory notes
  • Loan and credit agreements
  • Revolving lines of credit
  • Commercial deeds of trust
  • Assignments of rents and leases
  • Security agreements
  • UCC financing statements
  • Commercial guaranties
  • Collateral assignments
  • Subordination and intercreditor agreements
  • Loan modification and extension agreements
  • Construction and development loan documents
  • Business acquisition and seller-financing documents

Rather than relying solely on standardized forms, Pratt Law evaluates the transaction as a whole to ensure that the documents accurately reflect the parties’ agreement and provide an effective remedy if the loan is not repaid.

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Commercial Real Estate Financing

Commercial real estate transactions frequently involve multiple layers of documentation, collateral, guaranties, leases, and title considerations. Pratt Law represents lenders, investors, developers, and business owners in financing transactions involving office properties, retail spaces, multifamily properties, investment properties, development projects, and owner-occupied commercial real estate.

Our services include preparing and reviewing deeds of trust, promissory notes, assignments of rents and leases, environmental indemnities, guaranties, fixture filings, title-related documents, and other instruments necessary to document and secure a commercial real estate loan.

We also assist clients with refinancing transactions, supplemental loans, revolving credit facilities, modifications of existing indebtedness, and loans secured by multiple properties or categories of collateral.

Secured Transactions and UCC Matters

A loan is only as secure as the lender’s collateral position. Pratt Law assists lenders with creating and perfecting security interests in business assets under the Uniform Commercial Code.

Our secured transaction services include:

  • Drafting security agreements
  • Preparing and filing UCC financing statements
  • Identifying and describing collateral
  • Reviewing existing liens and competing security interests
  • Addressing lien priority issues
  • Documenting after-acquired property interests
  • Securing equipment, inventory, accounts, and general intangibles
  • Preparing assignments of membership interests and other collateral documents
  • Amending, continuing, assigning, and terminating UCC filings

We coordinate the loan documents, real estate security instruments, and personal property collateral documents so that the lender’s enforcement rights are addressed as part of a unified transaction.

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Private Lending and Investor Financing

Private loans often arise between investors, business partners, closely held companies, family-owned businesses, and individuals. Even when the parties know and trust one another, the transaction should be documented with the same level of care as an institutional loan.

Pratt Law represents private lenders and borrowers in documenting loans secured by real estate, business assets, membership interests, equipment, receivables, and personal guaranties. We help clients define repayment obligations, default remedies, collateral rights, interest provisions, maturity dates, extension options, and enforcement procedures before funds are advanced.

Proper documentation can preserve business relationships by eliminating uncertainty and establishing clear expectations from the beginning.

Commercial Foreclosure Representation

When a commercial borrower fails to repay a secured loan, prompt and accurate enforcement may be necessary to preserve the lender’s collateral and minimize further loss. Pratt Law represents banks, private lenders, investors, noteholders, and other secured creditors in foreclosure matters throughout Middle Tennessee.

Our foreclosure services include:

  • Reviewing promissory notes and deeds of trust
  • Confirming the outstanding indebtedness and default
  • Evaluating the lender’s collateral and lien position
  • Preparing notices of default and acceleration
  • Coordinating substitute trustee appointments
  • Preparing foreclosure notices
  • Coordinating publication and statutory notice requirements
  • Conducting or coordinating foreclosure sales
  • Preparing substitute trustee’s deeds
  • Addressing borrower objections and requests for reinstatement
  • Negotiating postponements, payoffs, and foreclosure resolutions
  • Pursuing judicial foreclosure when appropriate
  • Defending challenges to completed or pending foreclosure sales
  • Advising purchasers regarding foreclosure acquisitions

Foreclosure proceedings require close attention to the loan documents, deed of trust, statutory requirements, notice provisions, publication requirements, and sale procedures. Pratt Law helps lenders develop an enforcement strategy that is both legally compliant and commercially practical.

Loan Workouts, Forbearance, and Restructuring

A borrower’s default does not always require immediate foreclosure or litigation. In appropriate circumstances, a negotiated workout can reduce expense, preserve collateral value, and provide a more efficient path to repayment.

Pratt Law represents lenders and borrowers in negotiating and documenting:

  • Forbearance agreements
  • Loan modifications
  • Maturity extensions
  • Payment restructuring
  • Additional collateral requirements
  • Supplemental guaranties
  • Confessions or acknowledgments of indebtedness
  • Default interest provisions
  • Discounted payoffs
  • Deeds in lieu of foreclosure
  • Voluntary surrender of collateral
  • Settlement and release agreements

A properly structured workout should preserve the lender’s existing rights, establish meaningful performance requirements, and provide a clear enforcement path if the borrower defaults again.

Judicial Foreclosure and Contested Foreclosure Litigation

Some defaults cannot be resolved through a routine trustee’s sale. Disputes may arise regarding the amount owed, the validity or priority of a lien, the authority to foreclose, the sufficiency of notice, competing claims to the property, or alleged defects in the loan documents.

Pratt Law represents creditors in judicial foreclosure proceedings and contested matters involving:

  • Declaratory judgment claims
  • Breach of promissory notes and loan agreements
  • Enforcement of deeds of trust
  • Challenges to lien validity or priority
  • Requests to enjoin a foreclosure sale
  • Wrongful foreclosure allegations
  • Fraud and misrepresentation claims
  • Competing creditor claims
  • Bankruptcy-related collection issues
  • Receivership requests
  • Deficiency claims
  • Post-sale disputes
  • Title and possession issues following foreclosure

We evaluate whether nonjudicial foreclosure, judicial foreclosure, a negotiated workout, or a broader collection action provides the most effective remedy under the circumstances.

Enforcement of Commercial Guaranties

Commercial loans are frequently supported by personal or corporate guaranties. When the primary borrower defaults, the lender may need to pursue the guarantor independently or in conjunction with foreclosure against the collateral.

Pratt Law prepares and enforces commercial guaranties and represents lenders in disputes involving:

  • Continuing guaranties
  • Limited and unlimited guaranties
  • Payment and collection guaranties
  • Guarantor waivers and defenses
  • Multiple guarantors
  • Contribution and allocation issues
  • Guaranties executed by members, managers, and
  • affiliated entities
  • Litigation to recover guaranteed indebtedness

Carefully drafted guaranties can provide an important secondary source of recovery when the collateral is insufficient to satisfy the loan.

Commercial Loan Default and Collection Litigation

Real estate foreclosure may be only one part of a lender’s enforcement strategy. Depending on the loan documents and available collateral, a creditor may also pursue a money judgment, business assets, guarantors, rents, receivables, or other sources of recovery.

Pratt Law represents lenders and secured creditors in matters involving:

  • Breach of promissory notes
  • Breach of loan agreements
  • Enforcement of commercial guaranties
  • Collection of matured indebtedness
  • Repossession and disposition of collateral
  • Appointment of receivers
  • Garnishment and execution
  • Judgment liens
  • Post-judgment discovery
  • Fraudulent transfer claims
  • Deficiency claims following disposition of collateral
  • Negotiated settlements and structured repayment agreements

Our objective is to identify the available collateral and responsible parties, evaluate the likely cost of enforcement, and pursue a strategy designed to maximize recovery.

Representation of Borrowers and Business Owners

Pratt Law also represents businesses, developers, and commercial borrowers in financing transactions. Borrowers benefit from legal counsel who can identify unfavorable loan provisions, clarify default remedies, negotiate guaranty exposure, and ensure that the final documents reflect the negotiated business terms.

Borrower-side services include reviewing and negotiating loan agreements, promissory notes, deeds of trust, guaranties, security agreements, default provisions, financial covenants, prepayment terms, and workout agreements.

When representing a borrower, Pratt Law does not merely review individual documents in isolation. We evaluate how the financing terms, collateral requirements, guaranties, and default remedies work together and affect the borrower’s business operations.

why choose us

Why Clients Choose Pratt Law

Commercial lending and foreclosure matters require counsel who understands both transactional documentation and litigation. A lawyer who drafts loan documents should understand how those provisions will be interpreted and enforced after a default. Likewise, foreclosure counsel should be able to identify weaknesses in the underlying loan documents before initiating enforcement.

Pratt Law combines commercial transaction experience with creditor-rights and litigation experience. This allows us to assist clients throughout the complete life cycle of a commercial loan—from negotiation and closing through modification, default, foreclosure, and collection.
Our approach emphasizes clear documentation, responsive communication, practical risk assessment, and efficient enforcement strategies tailored to the value of the loan and collateral.

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Serving Middle Tennessee

Pratt Law represents financial institutions, private lenders, investors, developers, business owners, and commercial borrowers throughout Middle Tennessee, including Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, Clarksville, Lebanon, Gallatin, Columbia, and the surrounding communities.

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Contact a Middle Tennessee Commercial Lending and Foreclosure Attorney

Whether you are documenting a new commercial loan, financing a real estate transaction, restructuring troubled debt, or enforcing a defaulted loan through foreclosure, Pratt Law provides experienced legal counsel for commercial lending and finance matters.

Schedule a consultation regarding a commercial loan, secured transaction, loan workout, foreclosure, or creditor-rights matter in Middle Tennessee.

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