Financial Litigation

The financial crisis and subsequent industry turmoil have raised many questions and generated heated disputes. The Financial Litigation Consulting Group at Nathan Associates can provide satisfactory answers on the wide range of matters contributing to the crisis, such as asset-backed securities, credit default swaps, financial leverage, credit ratings, mark-to-market accounting, or fund-of funds suitability. No longer arcane or esoteric, these terms are now the stuff of daily news yet too often understanding of them—even among the “professionals”—is shallow at best.

Our financial experts study and explain such matters every day—and in layman’s terms. They can provide consulting services and expert testimony for those navigating the turmoil and disputes arising from the crisis, elucidating causes and effects in specific areas of expertise such as financial institutions, credit markets, corporate finance, small business and consumer credit, regulation, and bankruptcy investing. And they have experience with the institutions and organizations affected by the crisis, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, NASDAQ, the FDIC, the U.S. Department of Justice, FINRA, the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, federal and state bankruptcy courts, and others. Services include

• Expert testimony in litigation, arbitration, and regulatory proceedings 
• Valuation of complex securities and distressed assets
• Analysis of the reaction of bond and stock prices to announcements and events 
• Assessment of investment suitability
• Measurement of economic losses
• Determination of risk assessment adequacy
• Assessment of due diligence adequacy
• Evaluation of debt financing and leverage ratios
• Management of bankruptcy and workouts.

Our experts have recently

• Explained the financial crisis to the Financial Managers Society Boston Chapter
• Testified before the House Small Business Committee on the role of credit cards in small business financing 
• Commented on the need for better disclosure and the role of government in consumer financial markets
• Researched the relationship between short selling, analysts' downgrades, and earnings announcements
• Published a book on bankruptcy investing.

Consulting and Testifying Experts

Dr. Michael G. Ferri, George Mason University Foundation Professor of Finance | credit markets, asset backed securities, financial markets, investments

Dr. David A. Walker, John A. Largay Professor, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University, Director Emeritus of Georgetown University Capital Markets Research Center | financial institutions and markets, banking, small business credit

Dr. Ben S. Branch, Isenberg School of Management University of Massachusetts Professor of Finance | bankruptcy, fraudulent conveyance, bankruptcy investing, bank management

Gregory R. Niehaus, Associate Dean for Research and Academics, Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina | corporate finance, economics of insurance, financial risk management

Dr. Stephen E. Christophe, George Mason University School of Management, Associate Professor of Finance | securities valuation, short-selling, investments, corporate finance

Douglas A. Young, MBA, Principal Economist, Nathan Associates Inc.| business valuation, economic damages, investments