Introduction
Chris Reitzel assists issuers, underwriters, and financial advisors with public and project finance projects across a broad range of sectors. He serves as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, and underwriters’ counsel on public offerings and private placements. His diverse transactional background includes taxable and tax-exempt debt, complex variable rate products, including subordinated and senior commercial paper, as well as direct and standby credit and liquidity facilities.
My focus
I have extensive experience representing issuers and underwriters in the areas of transportation and infrastructure, public power, environmental, higher education, health care and housing, and securitizations, including work on financings for the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), Empire State Development (ESD), Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC), the City of New York (NYC), and the Oklahoma Development Finance Authority.
Complex Project Experience
I have been fortunate to be involved in some uniquely complex, multi-disciplinary transactions. I served as bond counsel to ESD (through the New York Transportation Development Corporation (an ESD-related entity)) in the approximately $2.4 billion P3 bond financing for the redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport in New York City, which was awarded The Bond Buyer’s Regional Deal of the Year award in 2016.
Recently, I have been involved in a number of important transactions for the State of New York (as bond counsel for financings done through DASNY and as bond and underwriters’ counsel for financings done through ESD), MTA, LIPA, and NYC. For the State, LIPA and NYC, that work includes their initial environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) bond issuances.
Disclosure
Much of my work involves serving as disclosure counsel, regularly assisting two very active issuers with multifaceted operations and diverse financing programs. Since 2000, I have been EFC’s disclosure counsel for its State Revolving Fund programs, as well as disclosure counsel to LIPA (and the Utility Debt Securitization Authority (UDSA)) since 2008. In both cases, I get to work with incredibly talented and dedicated in-house teams on cutting-edge financings.
Representative experience
- Served as bond counsel to DASNY since 1998 for billions of dollars of private client financings
- Served as bond counsel to ESD private financings such as the New York Transportation Development Corporation (an ESD-related entity) for its $2.4 billion P3 bond financing and Delta Terminal financing for the redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport in New York City
- Served as underwriters’ counsel to Citigroup in connection with the multi-billion P3 bond financing for the New Terminal One project
- Serve as bond counsel to ESD and DASNY for Personal Income Tax and Sales Tax Revenue Bond Programs, including the State of New York’s initial Green Bonds issuance
- Serve as disclosure counsel to EFC (since 2000) for its State Revolving Fund programs and LIPA (since 2008) for its financings and its bankruptcy-remote special purpose securitization entity, UDSA, including its first issuance of Green Bonds
- Served as disclosure counsel to Oklahoma Development Financing Authority (ODFA) for its utility securitization financings in the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri
- Serve as bond counsel to MTA for its multi-credit financing programs, including the $1.24 billion payroll mobility tax senior lien deal for MTA Bridges and Tunnels—deal marked the first new financing credit for the MTA’s transit and commuter capital program since its 2002 restructuring and first long-term issuance under the security and received The Bond Buyer’s “Northeast Deal of the Year” award in 2021
- Serve as underwriters’ counsel for numerous NYC general obligation financings, including NYC’s first Social Bonds issuance
Looking ahead
Creative financing solutions. The recent financing environment exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing our industry to develop new ways to finance growing infrastructure needs, including increased use of securitizations to finance or refinance such costs. In addition, to satisfy the investor community, we should expect an increase in ESG-type bond issuances.
In the news
- The Bond Buyer
Fitch upgrades LIPA ahead of its only deal this year
Aug 5, 2024This article covers the Long Island Power Authority’s recent upgrade by Fitch and its plans to price a billion-dollar issuance of electric system general revenue bonds on Tuesday, for which NP is mentioned as bond counsel. The NP team is led by Project Finance & Public Finance partners Chris Reitzel of New York City and Mitch Rapaport of Washington, DC.
- Proximo Infra
JFK Terminal 1 partially wrapped bond refinancing prices
Dec 6, 2023This article covering a $2 billion tax-exempt bond issuance related to a new terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport mentions NP for serving as underwriter’s counsel for Citigroup Global Markets in the transaction. The NP team includes New York City partner and Project Finance & Public Finance practice group leader Virginia Wong, partner Chris Reitzel, senior counsel Ken Lind, and associates Georgia Sackey, Greg Hom, and Paul Dewey; and San Francisco associate Dia Walrath, all of the PBFN practice.
- Bond Buyer
New York State Thruway Authority sets $2.2 billion sale of PIT bonds
This article on the New York State Thruway Authority’s planned sale of $2.2 billion of personal income tax bonds mentions NP as co-bond counsel. The NP team advising on the bond sale includes New York City partners Chris Reitzel and Adam Gordon, counsel Abbie Olsen, and associates Georgia Sackey and Kate Stack; Rochester partner Barry Carrigan; Washington, DC partners Bruce Serchuk and Joel Swearingen; and Albany counsel Jeff Pohl, all of the Project Finance & Public Finance practice.July 11, 2022 - Bond Buyer
JFK's new Terminal One will look to bond marketing for long-term financing
This article covering financing for John F. Kennedy International Airport’s new Terminal One, including plans to tap the municipal bond market for future phases of the project, mentions NP for serving as underwriter counsel representing Citi. The NP team involved in the project includes New York City partners Chris Reitzel, Virginia Wong, Ken Lind, and Roddy Devlin, and associates Kate Stack of New York and Dia Walrath of San Francisco, all of the Project Finance & Public Finance groupJune 17, 2022 - The Bond Buyer
Market sectors and segments pointed volume down in the Northeast
The article on the state of the municipal bond markets mentions NP for serving as bond counsel on the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority’s $1.24 billion payroll mobility tax senior lean deal for MTA Bridges and Tunnels. The NP team included New York partners Liz Columbo, Ken Lind, Adam Gordon, Chris Reitzel, and counsel Abigail Olsen, and Washington DC partner Carla Young, all of the Project Finance and Public Finance group.Feb 25, 2022 - The Bond Buyer
New York State's over $2.1 PIT bond sale should see demand, analysts say
This article mentions the firm as co-bond counsel to Empire State Development Corporation’s scheduled issuance of PIT bonds on behalf of New York State in a competitive deal to fund capital projects, for the work by New York City partner Chris Reitzel, counsel Abbie Olsen and associates Adam Gordon and Kate Stack, and Washington, D.C. partner Bruce Serchuk and associate Joel Swearingen, all in the Project Finance & Public Finance group.Dec 14, 2020 - The Bond Buyer
DASNY sells over $2.5B of PIT bonds; munis unchanged in face of large supply
This article on the state of the municipal bond market covers the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York’s sale of almost $2.5 billion of personal income tax receipt bonds. The firm is mentioned as bond counsel for the work by New York partners Chris Reitzel and Virginia Wong, and associates Adam Gordon and Kate Stack; Albany counsel Jeff Pohl; and Washington, D.C. partner Bruce Serchuk and associate Joel Swearingen, all of the Project Finance & Public Finance group.Oct 8, 2020 - The Bond Buyer
Nixon Peabody boosts infrastructure reach through Squire Patton Boggs hires
This feature highlights the arrivals of New York City partner Chris Reitzel and Albany counsel Jeff Pohl to Nixon Peabody’s growing Project Finance and Public Finance practice group.June 11, 2019 - Reuters Legal
Career Tracker Lawyers on the Move
The recent additions of New York partner Chris Reitzel and Albany counsel Jeff Pohl to Nixon Peabody’s Project Finance & Public Finance team are highlighted in Reuters Legal’s Career Tracker column.April 15, 2019 - The Deal
Movers & Shakers
The additions of New York City partner Chris Reitzel and Albany counsel Jeff Pohl to Nixon Peabody’s growing Project Finance and Public Finance practice group are highlighted in this article.April 8, 2019 - Project Finance International
Nixon Peabody hires two from Squire
The additions of New York City partner Christopher Reitzel and Albany counsel Jeffrey Pohl to Nixon Peabody’s growing Project Finance and Public Finance practice group are highlighted in thisApril 4, 2019
Admitted to practice
New York
Education
New York University School of Law, J.D.
Harvard University, B.A.
Recognition
- Selected, through a peer-review survey, for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 in the field of Municipal Law and Public Finance Law; listed In Best Lawyers since 2021
- Recognized for exceptional standing in the legal community in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2024 for Public Finance (New York)
- Recommended in The Legal 500 United States 2024 editorial for Project finance - Infrastructure and PPP
Insights And Happenings
View AllProfessionals in the Practice Area
View AllVirginia Wong
Partner / Practice Group Leader, Project Finance & Public Finance- New York City
- Office:+1 212.940.3028
- vwong@nixonpeabody.com
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Julie K. Seymour
Partner / Lateral Recruiting Partner- Chicago
- Office:+1 312.977.4353
- jkseymour@nixonpeabody.com
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Scott R. Singer
Partner- New York City
- Office:+1 212.940.3182Mobile:+1 917.886.5967
- ssinger@nixonpeabody.com
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