Biography of James Cretella

James Cretella, Esq., is a partner and practicing attorney at Blank Rome, a national law firm with offices throughout the United States James Cretella has been working in the legal field for over 21 years. He earned his law degree cum laude from Brooklyn Law School in 2004, after completing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Villanova University in 2001

Legal Expertise

James has built a career representing banks, private lenders, commercial finance companies, and factors in the negotiation and documentation of secured finance transactions. His guidance supports lenders of different sizes across all stages of lending deals

James works with institutional and specialty lenders, commercial finance and factoring companies, and borrowers, helping structure and document various types of alternative and specialty finance transactions. His work includes asset-based and cash flow facilities, hybrid deal structures, receivables finance and factoring models (including notification, non-notification, actual sale, and participations), lender finance from both sides, recurring revenue lines for SaaS and subscription-based models, supply chain finance, channel finance, purchase order finance, and Article 9 foreclosure sales

His practice also involves advice on workouts, intercreditor matters, warehouse lines, and deals involving non-standard borrower profiles He is recognized for completing transactions on time and crafting structures tailored to client needs. His experience spans several sectors, including staffing, technology, healthcare, FinTech, real estate, government contracts, transportation, and energy

He regularly manages deals for middle- and upper-middle-market clients These include asset-backed lending transactions, larger factoring agreements, channel and supply chain finance deals, off-balance-sheet receivable purchase arrangements, and purchase order financings

Jim Cretella also acts as outside legal counsel to smaller lenders, documenting front-end transactions such as smaller factoring and recurring revenue deals, and advising on legal questions as they arise. In addition, he represents these clients in borrower-side credit facility negotiations and in the buying and selling of portfolios

Named as One of SFNet’s 40 Under 40

He is active in the Secured Finance Network (SFNet), which brings together professionals and institutions involved in secured lending In 2016, he was selected for SFNet’s 40 Under 40, an honor given to leading young professionals in the commercial finance industry.

A Recognized Voice in the Commercial Finance Industry

In October 2025, he served as a panel moderator at a session hosted by his firm titled “Navigating Lender Finance,” held in Dallas, Texas. The panel featured representatives from various parts of the finance and legal industries They discussed structuring, underwriting, and managing risk, as well as M&A trends, credit conditions, and the future of private credit

James is also engaged with the International Factoring Association, a global organization that includes factoring companies, bank-owned entities, and other participants in receivables

finance He will attend the association’s annual conference on May 6–8, 2026, where he will also co-present the Factoring Essentials class.

He has contributed to professional publications as a co-author. One of his recurring columns, “What Would You Do,” appeared in The Secured Lender, covering topics in asset-based lending and factoring He also co-authored articles in Financier Worldwide Magazine, including “Friendly Foreclosures: Free and Clear or Clearly Full of Successor Liability?” and “To the Abyss and Back: The Evolution of Exit Financing From the Credit Crisis Through Today”

James is committed to mentoring junior associates by offering guidance and supporting their professional growth

Committed to Helping Communities

He previously served on the board of directors for a school in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which offers a rigorous academic program for students from PreK3 through 8th grade The school was founded in memory of an individual who lost his life in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

He regularly donates to charitable causes, including his church and the schools he has supported.

On the Personal Side

He will celebrate 20 years of marriage in 2026. In his spare time, he enjoys watching both baseball and football

James Cretella continues to serve his clients and the broader legal and finance community with dedication and experience