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Ethan Ostrow, a founding partner of Norris George & Ostrow PLLC, has practiced with Messrs. Norris and George since July, 2013. Mr. Ostrow has served as underwriter’s counsel, purchaser’s counsel and issuer’s counsel in connection with a range of tax-exempt and taxable affordable multifamily housing bonds and loans, including public offerings and private placements of rated as well as unrated bonds. These financings have involved loans and mortgage backed securities backed by FHA, Ginnie Mae (GNMA), Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other credit providers.

Mr. Ostrow worked with Mr. Norris, Fannie Mae and its counsel and other parties in developing the structure and documentation for Fannie M.TEBs tax-exempt bond product, and in serving as underwriter’s counsel on the first transaction for a project in Chicago called Fullerton Court Apartments closed in January, 2015, and in the next eight such financings closed over the ensuing two and a half years. He is also a leading underwriter’s counsel on financings which use short-term cash-backed tax-exempt bonds to provide 4% low income housing tax credits on projects using low-rate taxable FHA and other taxable loans in the current interest rate environment.

Prior to July, 2013, Mr. Ostrow served as counsel with several major Chicago based firms to a range of parties in real estate and real estate financing transactions, with particular focus on distressed situations, in which he has represented Chapter 11 debtors, secured creditors, unsecured creditor committees, equity holders, and asset purchasers, as well as parties to bankruptcy-related litigation in bankruptcy courts throughout the country. He has advised clients and investors in industries ranging from telecommunications to healthcare.

Mr. Ostrow also has significant experience in the area of asset-backed securitization, including several SEC-registered offerings under Regulation AB and Rule 144A placements of fixed and floating rate bonds secured by receivables derived from retail installment sale contracts and loans.

Mr. Ostrow graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1996 with a B.A. in Russian and History. In 2003, he received his Masters in Slavic Languages and Literatures from Harvard University and in 2006, he received a J.D. from the Boston University School of Law. He is a member of the Illinois Bar, the Wisconsin Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, and the bars of the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois.