Peck Shaffer
  • Contact Us
  • Home

Peck Shaffer

John C. Merchant

Partner 201 E. Fifth Street, Suite 900 Cincinnati, OH 45202 jmerchant@peckshaffer.com TEL: 513 639 9224 FAX: 513 621 3813
Download V-Card John C. Merchant
Pattern

PRACTICE FOCUS

EDUCATION

  • University of Kentucky College of Law, J.D., 1982
  • Morehead State University, B.A., cum laude, 1979

BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS

  • Kentucky, 1982
  • U.S. District Court, Western and Eastern District of Kentucky, 1982
  • Ohio, 1992
  • Georgia, 2005
  • District of Columbia, 2007

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • Fellow, American College of Bond Counsel
Print Email Page

John C. Merchant

Partner 201 E. Fifth Street, Suite 900 Cincinnati, OH 45202 jmerchant@peckshaffer.com TEL: 513 639 9224 FAX: 513 621 3813
Download V-Card John C. Merchant
Depth and variation describe John Merchant's 20 years of public finance practice. Across the country, Mr. Merchant has participated in healthcare, economic development and traditional issue transactions, as bond and underwriter's counsel, for the issuance of obligations including bonds, notes and leases. 

As bond and underwriter's counsel for healthcare & other 501(c)(3) transactions, he has experience with bond financings involving master trust indenture and interest rate SWAP structures as well as leasing structures for non-profit and governmental entities. In addition, he has participated as bond counsel for a public radio station acquisition.

Mr. Merchant has worked on traditional issue financings related to schools, transportation and water and sewer projects.  These financings have included features such as auction rate bonds, lease-leaseback structure, subordinated debt and taxable debt.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Merchant participated in public finance transactions in various positions with the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
 

REPRESENTATIVE TRANSACTIONS

  • $14,210,000 County of Henderson, Kentucky Hospital Facilities Refunding Revenue Bonds, Series 2010A (Community United Methodist Hospital, Inc. Project) (Bond Counsel)
  • $12,000,000 County of Henderson, Kentucky Hospital Facilities Refunding Revenue Bonds, Series 2009A (Community United Methodist Hospital, Inc. Project) and $18,000,000 County of Henderson, Kentucky Hospital Facilities Refunding Revenue Bonds, Series 2009B (Community United Methodist Hospital, Inc. Project) (Bond Counsel)
  • $17,223,844.09 County of Butler, Ohio Health Care Facilities Revenue and Refunding Revenue Bonds, Series 2009A (The McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Incorporated Project) and $4,776,155.91 County of Butler, Ohio Health Care Facilities Refunding Revenue Bonds, Series 2009B (The McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Incorporated Project) (Bond Counsel)
  • Master Lease Purchase and Sublease Purchase Agreement, dated as of November 1, 2009 (the "Agreement"), by and among Park National Bank (the "Lessor"), the County of Licking, Ohio (the "Lessee") and Licking Memorial Hospital (the "Sublessee") and Schedule of Payments Number 1 thereto, dated November 25, 2009, with respect to lease obligations in the amount of $8,000,000 (Special Counsel)
  • $110,875,000 County of Hancock, Ohio Hospital Facilities Revenue Bonds, Series 2004 (Blanchard Valley Regional Health Center) (Bond Counsel)
  • $58,095,000 City of Cincinnati, Ohio Water System Revenue and Refunding Revenue Bonds, Series 2009A and $77,935,000 City of Cincinnati, Ohio Water System Revenue Bonds, Federally Taxable - Build America Bonds, Series 2009B (Bond Counsel)
  • $9,890,000 City of Cincinnati, Ohio Recovery Zone Facility Revenue Bonds, Series 2009A (Graeter's Manufacturing Co. Project) (Bond Counsel)
  • $39,250,000 City of Cincinnati, Ohio Unlimited Tax Various Purpose General Obligation Bonds, Series 2009A and $25,000,000 City of Cincinnati, Ohio Unlimited Tax Various Purpose General Obligation Bonds, Series 2009B (Additional Municipal Income Tax Pledge) (Bond Counsel)
  • $2,880,000 City of Cincinnati, Ohio Economic Development Revenue Bonds, Series 2009B (Columbia Square Project) (Bond Counsel)
  • $153,305,000 The Turnpike Authority of Kentucky Economic Development Road Revenue Bonds (Revitalization Projects), 2009 Series A (Bond Counsel)
  • $70,610,000 Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Taxable General Obligation Pension Funding Bonds, Series 2009B (Bond Counsel)
  • $24,830,000 Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government General Obligation Various Purpose Bonds, Series 2009A (Bond Counsel)
  • $6,500,000 Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Industrial Building Revenue Bonds, Series 2009 (Transylvania University Project) (Underwriter's Counsel)
  • $31,880,000 Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board General Airport Revenue Refunding Bonds, 2009 Series A (Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government General Obligation) (non-AMT); and $16,420,000 Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board Variable Rate General Airport Revenue Refunding Bonds, 2009 Series B (Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government General Obligation) (non-AMT) (Bond Counsel)
  • Master Lease-Purchase and Sublease-Purchase Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2009, among Fifth Third Bank, Sandusky County-Seneca County-City of Tiffin Port Authority and Heidelberg University and Schedule of Payments No. 1 with respect to Lease Obligations in the amount of $16,675,000 (Special Counsel)
  • $77,075,000 aggregate principal amount of Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board Variable Rate General Airport Revenue and Revenue Refunding Bonds, 2008 Series A (AMT); Variable Rate General Airport Revenue and Revenue Refunding Bonds, 2008 Series B (non-AMT); and Variable Rate General Airport Taxable Revenue Refunding Bonds, 2008 Series C (Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government General Obligation) (Bond Counsel)
  • $20,370,000 Lexington Center Corporation Mortgage Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2008A (Disclosure Counsel)
  • $27,390,000 Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Capital Improvement Refunding Bonds, Series 2008B (Bond Counsel)
  • $108,390,000 Refunding Certificates of Participation, Series 2007 (Cleveland Stadium Project) Evidencing Proportionate Interests in Base Rent to be Paid by the City of Cleveland, Ohio (Underwriter's Counsel)
  • Master Lease Purchase and Sublease Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 15, 2007, including Tax-Exempt Acquisition Schedule No. 1, with respect to lease obligations in the amount of $5,925,000 and Taxable Acquisition Schedule No. 2, with respect to lease obligations in the amount of $831,000, by and among Fifth Third Bank, County of Hancock, Ohio and Blanchard Valley Continuing Care Services (Special Counsel)
  • $73,885,000 City of Cincinnati, Ohio Water System Revenue Bonds, Series 2007B (Bond Counsel)
  • $127,415,000 City of Cincinnati, Ohio Water System Refunding Revenue Bonds, Series 2007A (Bond Counsel)
  • $380,945,000 Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Cincinnati, County of Hamilton, Ohio Classroom Facilities Construction and Improvement Refunding Bonds, Series 2006 (Voted General Obligation - Unlimited Tax) (Bond Counsel)
  • $70,840,000 Board of Education of the Princeton City School District, Counties of Hamilton, Butler and Warren, Ohio School Improvement Refunding Bonds, Series 2006 (Unlimited Tax General Obligation) (bond Counsel)
  • $5,000,000 Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Adjustable Rate Demand Industrial Building Revenue Bonds, Series 2006 (First Bracktown, Inc. Project) and $800,000 First Bracktown, Inc. Adjustable Rate Taxable Securities, Series 2006 (Bond Counsel)
  • $11,555,000 County of Greene, Ohio University Housing Revenue Bonds (Marauder Development, LLC Project), Series 2004A and $595,000 Taxable University Housing Revenue Bonds (Marauder Development, LLC Project), Series 2004B (Central State University Project) (Underwriter's Counsel; PSW was also Bond Counsel)
  • $307,410,000 City of Dallas, Texas Waterworks and Sewer System Revenue Refunding and Improvement Bonds Series 2003 (Underwriters' Counsel)

PUBLICATIONS & SPEECHES

  • "Basics of Leasing" and "Lawyers Panel"
    Association for Governmental Leasing and Finance
    John Merchant, panelist

COMMUNITY & PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT

  • Chair, Board of Regents, Morehead State University
  • Board Member, Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC)
  • Board Member, Cincinnati Art Museum
  • Board Member, New Cities Foundation, Kentucky League of Cities
  • Board Member, Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation
  • Member, National Association of Bond Lawyers
  • Member, Association for Governmental Leasing & Finance
  • Member, National Association of Securities Professionals
  • Member, National Forum for Black Public Administrators 
  • Member, Cincinnati Bar Association
  • Member, Black Lawyers Association of Cincinnati

SPECIAL INTERESTS

Golf
Travel