Christopher J. Chaput
Managing Director, Seabury Group
Chris Chaput joined Seabury Group in 2002. He heads Seabury's Structured Finance Group, which focuses on secured financings and off-balance sheet transactions (including leveraged leasing) primarily involving commercial and corporate jet aircraft, but also including rail cars, real estate, ships and other assets.
In the last three years under Chaput's management, Seabury Structured Finance has arranged more than $5 billion of new aircraft lease and mortgage financings (as well as financing related pre-delivery payments) covering more than 200 new regional, narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. In addition, Seabury Structured Finance has led negotiations for new aircraft financing commitments in excess of $3 billion for future delivery of aircraft for various airlines worldwide. Chaput has overseen the restructuring of various airlines' major financial commitments to aircraft manufacturers and other large financing companies, involving financial restructurings, the timing and composition of aircraft orders and other related complex secured financings.
Prior to joining Seabury, Chaput was an Executive Director in the Equipment Finance Group at Morgan Stanley from 1998 to September 2002, where he structured and executed 13 separate aircraft-backed bond transactions for seven different airlines involving proceeds in excess of $4.5 billion. He was responsible for a variety of structural enhancements to the EETC product, including perfecting the popular new issue wrap structure. At Morgan Stanley, he was also active in financing real estate, rail cars and other assets.
Before joining Morgan Stanley, Chaput was the Managing Director, Corporate Finance at Northwest Airlines (1990-1998). He initially served Northwest as Tax Counsel, advising on transactional matters, IRS audits and appeals, and tax-related lobbying.
Chaput practiced law with a Minneapolis law firm from 1986-1990, specializing in corporate, partnership and tax law. As a tax litigator, he won all 11 trials and appeals in which he appeared, including three cases in the Minnesota Supreme Court. He also worked in the Tax Department at Coopers & Lybrand from1985 to 1986.
Chaput earned his B.A. from Creighton University, magna cum laude, and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he taught business planning for two years as an adjunct professor.
