Wade is widely recognized as one of the country’s foremost authorities in the field of multifamily housing bond finance. Clients benefit not just from Wade’s legal acumen, but from his decades-long track record of shaping policy, creating new financing tools, and delivering results that expand housing access nationwide.

Over his nearly five decades of experience, Wade has been involved in thousands of tax-exempt multifamily housing bond and loan financings across all 50 states, primarily serving banks and other private placement purchaser clients of tax-exempt debt, or serving as tax-exempt debt or special tax-exempt debt counsel to borrowers. During his career, Wade has overseen billions of dollars of multifamily financings and played a major role in the design and development of the country’s leading multifamily financing placement programs.

Wade’s career has been defined by innovations that have opened new pathways to fund vital housing developments and realize projects that have benefitted both clients and communities. He has:

• Pioneered FHA-insured and MBIA-backed financing programs that funded over 200 low-income housing projects.
• Led the development of HUD’s Section 11(b) refunding program, refinancing over 500 high-interest bond issues and saving billions in federal subsidies.
• Authored HUD’s definitive guidance on multifamily bond refundings which shaped national policy and streamlining client transactions.
• Helped launch the country’s leading private placement program for non-credit-enhanced multifamily bonds, now closing over $5 billion annually.
• Created groundbreaking structures like tax-exempt loan formats and short-term cash-backed bonds, enabling clients to meet regulatory and tax credit requirements with greater efficiency.
• Advised Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in developing their TEL and M.TEB programs, which are now cornerstone financing tools for affordable housing developers.
• Led efforts to preserve and expand private activity bond volume, including successful advocacy in California that protected thousands of affordable units and billions in federal tax credit subsidies.

Additionally, Wade continues to innovate with essential function and 501(c)(3) workforce housing financings, unlocking new pathways for clients to build middle-market housing without relying on scarce bond volume.

A past Chair of the Bond Financing Committee of the American Bar Association Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law, Wade’s thought leadership in the field continues outside of his direct representation to clients. Beyond publishing articles and papers, he is frequently called to serve as a speaker or panel moderator on multifamily housing bond finance, and is a highly-sought out keynote speaker at more than a dozen industry-housing conferences each year.

Prior to joining Dinsmore, Wade was the managing and founding partner of Norris George & Ostrow PLLC, a Washington D.C.-based boutique law firm which has become a leading practitioner of affordable multifamily rental housing bond financing.