Maine Commercial Lending Handbook (2nd Edition) 2026
Tower Publishing presents the second edition of the Maine Commercial Lending Handbook. Authored by Christopher Devlin and Mark Googins, the Handbook is a practical guide to commercial lending practice in Maine that discusses the commercial loan from start to finish, with sections on loan planning, borrower and guarantor selection, commitment letters and term sheets, common collateral types, title and survey review, establishing entity authority, and pacing and conducting the closing.
The second edition updates and expands the first, covering developments in mortgage law, UCC Article 9 practice, interest rate indices, ECOA litigation, acknowledgement of documents, legal opinions and entity diligence, and includes new material on:
- Maine agencies involved in commercial lending
- Legalized cannabis
- Mortgage foreclosure
- Leasehold mortgages
- Tiny homes as collateral
- Trusts as borrower
- Loan assumptions
- Tax increment financing
The authors provide practice tips, reference to relevant resources, new and updated forms and comprehensive Maine case and statutory citations.
The Maine Commercial Lending Handbook (2nd Edition) is a must-have for anyone involved in the business or legal aspects of Maine commercial lending and for out-of-state professionals seeking a grounding in Maine commercial lending law and practice.
ISBN: 9798993027449
Published: March 2026
Shipping: $7.00
Christopher J. Devlin is counsel at the Maine State Housing Authority, where he works on loan and low income housing tax credit transactions. He is also teaches real estate law as adjunct faculty at the University of Maine at Augusta. He is a graduate of Vassar College and of Boston College Law School, and is a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
Mark K. Googins is a Partner in Verrill Dana’s Business Law Group who has concentrated his practice in the areas of commercial finance and commercial transactions for the past 43 years. He counsels clients in mergers and acquisitions, in complex commercial negotiations, and in a wide variety of lending transactions, including equipment leasing, leveraged buyouts and sale-leasebacks. Mark is a native of Portland who graduated from Tufts University and New York University School of Law. Before joining Verrill Dana, Mark practiced at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in New York.
"The Maine Commercial Lending Handbook, Second Edition belongs on the desk of every commercial lender and lawyer representing commercial borrowers and lenders in Maine. Updating their First Edition of this Handbook, authors Devlin and Googins draw on their extensive experience to offer a practical and highly accessible guide to the transactional and legal principles underlying the commercial loan transaction. The principal documents and their relevance to different types of borrowers and collateral are explained in detail, and the text offers useful “Practice Pointers” and examples throughout. Keyed specifically to Maine’s laws and regulations, this book is a valuable resource for lenders and practitioners active in Maine’s commercial loan arena." ~ Andrew M. Kaufman, Professor of Practice and Consultant to the Dean Director, Business and Transactional Law Certificate Program Director, University of Maine School of Law
“Googins and Devlin have written what has been, for me, the essential guide to documenting and closing commercial loan transactions in Maine. I have used this book for more than fifteen years, and it remains a principal tool in my own work for understanding and documenting commercial loans. I regularly return to it as both a teaching resource and an everyday reference. It belongs at the core of any training program for commercial bankers and is equally invaluable to seasoned practitioners across the state.” ~ Diane Donaldson, Senior Vice President & Team Lead, Bangor Savings Bank, Portland, ME
