Bill Hart is a Banking & Finance partner in Mayer Brown’s Houston office. He is also a Key Member of the firm’s high-yield debt practice. Bill has broad financial experience representing major banks, underwriters, borrowers and issuers in such matters as placement of high-yield debt securities, project finance, large syndicated bank transactions, oil and gas financings, asset-based financings and acquisition financings. He has industry-specific financing experience in the areas of oil and gas and chemicals. Prior to joining Mayer Brown in 2012, Bill was a partner at another prominent Houston law firm.

Experience

Reserve-based financings

• JPMorgan Chase and other agents – $200 million reserve-based financing for KFH Real Asset Holdings LP; $500 million reserve-based financing for KNR Resource Investors LP; $500 million reserve-based financing for Carlyle Energy Development ORCO, LLC; $210 million reserve-based financing for Hilcorp Resources, LLC; $300 million reserve-based financing for a prominent oil and gas company
• Bank of Montreal – $250 million reserve-based financing for Citrus Energy Appalachia, LLC; $250 million reserve-based financing for Ajax Resources LLC; $50 million reserve-based first lien financing for Comstock Resources, Inc.
• A leading global bank – $500 million reserve-based financing for EM Energy Employee, LLC
• Castex Energy – over $1 billion in reserve-based financings
• Parker Drilling – $130 million reserve-based financing
• Warren Resources – $300 million in reserve-based financings
• Mariner Energy – $1 billion reserve-based credit facilityEncore Acquisition Company – $1.25 billion reserve-based credit facility
• Encore Energy Partners – $375 million reserve-based credit facility
• Berry Petroleum – $1.2 billion secured first lien reserve-based credit facility;$250 million second-lien reserve-based credit facility
• Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation – $1.4 billion reserve-based credit facility
• Carrizo Oil & Gas – $350 million reserve-based revolving credit facility; $225 million second-lien term loan facility.
• Edge Petroleum – $750 million reserve-based credit facility
• Citation Oil & Gas – $75 million reserve-based facility; $160 million reserve-based facility

Downstream, Midstream & Power Financings

• JPMorgan Chase and other agents – $2.7 billion revolving credit facilities for Weatherford International
• Halliburton Company – $700 million secured revolving credit agreement; $1.2 billion secured letter of credit facility; $2 billion senior unsecured credit facility
• KBR, Inc. – $1 billion revolving credit agreement
• Valero Energy Corporation – $3 billion revolving credit facility; $4.5 billion term loans and revolving credit agreement; $200 million term loan; $750 million revolving credit agreement; $115 million (Canadian) revolving credit agreement
• Reliant Energy, Inc. – over $8 billion of revolving and term credit facilities for REI and its subsidiaries
• Lyondell Chemical Corp. – $7 billion secured revolving and term credit facility;$100 million receivables securitization
• Equistar Chemicals, LP – $1.25 billion secured revolving and term credit facility;$450 million receivables securitization
• Millennium Chemicals – secured credit facilities consisting of a $125 million revolving facility; $100 million (Australian) term facility and $25 million (Australian) revolving facility
• Niska Gas Storage – $1.175 billion secured revolving and term loan facility in connection with gas storage assets
• Transocean Inc. – $1 billion term loan and revolving credit facilities; $250 million working capital – renewal of 365-day unsecured facility; $175 million restructuring facility to finance debt; $545million working capital facility
• CenterPoint Energy and affiliates – $950 million revolving line of credit; $1.5 billion credit facilities; $1 billion revolving line of credit; $200 million credit facility; $250 million term loan
• Pride Offshore Inc. – $180 million European facility; $500 million revolving credit loan and $300 million term loan; $250 million revolving credit facility; $200 million term loan
• Oceaneering International – $250 million term loan facility; $300 million working capital facility
• Ray McDermott, Inc. and affiliates – $500 million revolving credit agreement;$200 million working capital facility; $180 million secured  revolving  credit facility; $25 million letter of credit facility; $105 million syndicated performance guarantee issuance facility
• The Babcock & Wilcox Company – $650 million secured credit facility
• K-Sea Transportation Partners LP – $47 million credit facility

Acquisition Financings

• Transocean – $15 billion bridge loan facility in the merger of equals between Transocean and GlobalSantaFe
• Exterran Holdings – $1.65 billion revolving and term loan credit facility in connection with the merger of equals between Universal Compression Holdings and Hanover Compressor
• Niska Gas Storage – $1.175 billion credit facility consisting of five tranches: US revolver, Canadian revolver, asset sale term loan, US term B loan and Canadian term B loan; term loan proceeds used to partially finance acquisition of EnCana’s natural gas storage assets
• Weatherford – $1.2 billion bridge facility, used in part to finance the purchase of certain divisions of Precision Drilling
• Capano Energy – $100 million bridge facility; proceeds used to finance the acquisition of Scissortail Energy
• Enterprise Products Partners – $1.2 billion credit facility to acquire pipeline assets from Williams Cos.
• Encore Energy Partners – $300 million reserve-based revolving credit facility used to finance the acquisition of oil and gas properties from Anadarko
• Great Northern Properties – acquisition of the largest privately owned coal reserves in the U.S.
• Lyondell Chemical – $2.65 billion term loan used for acquisition of 41.25% interest in Lyondell Citgo Refining LP owned by CITGO Petroleum Corporation
• Hercules Offshore – $1.05 billion credit facilities; term loan used to partially finance the acquisition of TODCO
• Newfield Exploration – $575 million acquisition of Inland Resources
• Inergy, P. – $475 million acquisition of Star Gas Propane
• Valero – $2 billion term loan; proceeds used to finance Valera’s acquisition of Premcor
• Kayne Anderson – $150 million acquisition of Plains All American Pipeline unites to partially fund Plains’ acquisition of Andrews Petroleum; $175 million acquisition of Capano Energy units to partially fund Copano’s acquisition of ScissorTail Energy
• Pogo Producing – $750 million 144A offering of notes to partially finance the acquisition of Latigo Petroleum; $208 million acquisition of certain oil and gas properties in west Texas; $1.7 billion acquisition of Canadian oil and gas operations of Unocal (Northrock Resources)
• Greene’s Energy Group – $60 million credit facilities; proceeds used in part to finance various acquisitions

Asset-based financings

• Westlake Chemicals – $400 million asset-based credit facility
• Equistar Chemicals, LP – $250 million asset-based credit facility; $700 million asset-based credit facility
• Imperial Sugar Company  – $140 million asset-based  credit facility
• NCI Buildings Systems  – $125 million asset-based  credit facility
• KKR Premier MR Corp. – $1.2 billion asset-based credit facility

High-yield debt offerings

• ION Geophysical Corporation – $175 million senior secured second priority notes
• Halcon Resources – $400 million 144A senior notes offering
• Bonanza Creek – $300 million 144A senior notes offering; $200 million 144A senior notes offering
• Regency Energy Partners – $700 million 144A senior notes offering; $550 million note exchange; $900 million 144A notes offering
• Lyondell Chemical Corp. – over $2 billion of high-yield senior and subordinated debt offerings
• Equistar Chemicals, LP – over $1 billion of high-yield senior and subordinated debt offerings
• Westlake Chemicals – $250 million 144A senior notes offering
• Carrizo Oil & Gas – $400 million 144A senior notes offering
• Linn Energy – $750 million 144A senior notes offering
• Mariner Energy – $300 million 144A senior notes offering
• Encore Acquisition Company – $600 million 144A senior notes offering
• Berry Petroleum – $325 million 144A senior notes offering
• Venoco, – $150 million 144A senior notes offering
• Chesapeake Midstream Partners – $750 million senior notes offering
• Reliant Energy, Inc. – $300 million 144A senior notes offering
• Chesapeake Midstream Partners, LP – $350 million senior notes offering
• TPC Group LLC – $350 million senior notes offering
• Atwood Oceanics – $450 million senior notes offering
• Endeavor International Corporation – $350 million first-priority notes; $150 million second-priority notes
• Edge Petroleum Company – $200 million senior notes offering
• Stallion Oilfield Holding Inc. – $250 million secured notes offering
• RKI Exploration & Production LLC – $250 million senior notes offering
• Northern Tier Energy LLC – $275 million senior secured notes offering
• Pacific Energy Management LLC – $145 million senior notes
• Gothic Production Company – $235 million senior secured notes
• Computer Sciences Corporation – $700 million senior note offering
• Energy Partners, Ltd. – $150 million senior notes

Private placements

• Industrias Penoles, S.A. de C.V. – $377 million private placement
• Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. – $22 million private placement
• Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation – $1.4 billion in private placement
• International Speedway Corporation – $65 million private placement
• HEB Grocery – $250  million private placement
• Cleco Power – $100  million private placement

Project financings

• Bank of America and other agents – $1.175 billion gas storage project financing for Niska Gas Storage
• Valero Energy Corporation – $830 million project financings of offshore pipeline systems; $221.3 million project financing of biodiesel refinery
• Imperial Sugar Company – $145 million project financing of sugar refinery
• Industrias Penoles, A. de C.V. – $155 million project financing of copper mines

Accolades

• Listed in Chambers USA, 2007 – 2016
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America , 2009 – 2016
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America – Derivatives, Futures Law, Securitization, Structured Finance, 2013 – 2016
• Listed in Best Attorneys of America – Lifetime Member
• Recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer, 2012, 2016
• Listed in the Legal 500, 2008 and 2009
• Listed in Best Lawyers in Houston, 2007 – 2016
• Listed in Best Lawyers in Texas, 2007 – 2016
• Listed in Best Lawyers in Texas – Capital Markets and Derivatives, 2011
• Listed in Best Lawyers in Houston – Structured Finance, 2011
• Listed in Best Lawyers as “Lawyer of the Year” Securitization and Structured Finance Law, 2011