Abe Chernin’s primary areas of focus include consumer finance, banking, and real estate. Mr. Chernin has extensive experience with FinTech, asset-backed securities, private equity and venture capital, corporate and asset valuation, and general damages.

Consumer finance and banking

Mr. Chernin is the head of Cornerstone Research’s consumer finance practice. He has provided expertise for mortgage originators, servicers, and appraisers; credit card companies; student lenders; small dollar lenders; insurers; and retail and consumer banks. Across numerous consulting engagements, Mr. Chernin has analyzed business practices, credit decisions, loss causation, damages, class certification issues, professional liability claims, and regulatory investigations. These projects have required careful evaluation of large datasets, sizable document production, or both.

Real estate

Mr. Chernin plays a key role in the firm’s real estate practice, consulting on a wide variety of commercial and residential real estate transactions. He has significant experience with equity and debt project financing, real estate investments, and structured asset-backed securities. Mr. Chernin has assessed development projects in the context of industry standards and evaluated damages claims. His work on real estate investment trusts (REITs) includes extensive consulting on cases involving valuation, financial statements, and industry trends.

FinTech

In support of Cornerstone Research’s FinTech capabilities, Mr. Chernin leads matters related to crypto token categorization, cryptocurrency exchanges, initial coin offerings (ICOs) and other forms of equity crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, and commercial uses for blockchain technology.

Mr. Chernin has given presentations on the economics of ICOs and cryptocurrency exchanges, and coauthored publications on the topic, including “Economic Considerations for ICO Regulation and Litigation” in Bloomberg Securities Law Daily. In addition, he has published research on the regulation of failed banks. His coauthored chapter, “Bank Failures: Regulatory Actions and Litigation,” appears in the fifth edition of Litigation Services Handbook: The Role of the Financial Expert.

Prior to joining Cornerstone Research, Mr. Chernin worked in the capital markets section of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and at Citigroup Asset Management.