Russell Putnam, JD
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
• Private Placements
• Qualified Opportunity Zones
• Oil & Gas
Prior to his current role as Co-President, Russell Putnam served as manager at FactRight since 2014, providing due diligence analysis on alternative investment programs, primarily focusing on qualified opportunity zones, oil and gas, and private placement programs.
Russell’s work experience in the financial services industry, and as an attorney, make him uniquely qualified to provide due diligence services on alternative investments. Russell contributes as a due diligence analyst for FactRight to ensure that broker dealers have identified key risks in alternative investments. Russell works with broker dealers and product sponsors to provide clear analysis of complex strategies, governance provisions, fee structures, regulatory matters, and tax benefits and consequences. Prior to joining FactRight, Russell worked for GMAC-RFC, where he gained valuable experience in the securities industry as an asset specialist for a structured finance group focused on the pooling and distribution of asset-and mortgage-backed securities. He also provided financial institutions with compliance services, including federal and state lending requirement research, while working as a compliance-consulting analyst for Wolters Kluwer Financial Services. Additionally, Russell reviewed discovery related documents for relevance, privilege, and confidentiality concerns while employed as a project attorney for Kroll Ontrack.
- J.D., Magna Cum Laude, Hamline University School of Law
- B.A., Economics and Political Science, St. Olaf College
- Member, Minnesota State Bar
- Toastmasters International Member, All-American Speakers, Eden Prairie, Minnesota
- CALI Awards for Academic Excellence in Negotiation, Antitrust, Commercial Law-Payment Systems, Wills and Trusts Drafting
- Hamline Law Review Associate Editor
- Hamline Law Review Associate
Recent Blogs from FactRight
- FactRight Takes Salt Lake Cityby Kate@FactRight.com (Kate Stephany) on September 7, 2023 at 5:11 pm
*Olympic Trumpet flair*
- Navigating the Cap Rate Landscape: How Real Estate Cap Rates Relate to Real Interest Ratesby Jeff.B@factright.com (Jeff Baumgartner) on August 9, 2023 at 6:02 pm
With limited success for centuries, astronomers charted the stars with hopes of better understanding the universe until one day when Copernicus suggested that the earth was orbiting the sun. Once his epiphany was fully understood, empires could navigate the globe with unprecedented precision by knowing exactly where they were by looking up at the stars. Today, there is no shortage of cap rate/interest rate correlation theories in our industry. Perhaps more fully understanding commercial real estate cap rates and their orientation to interest rates can aid alternative investors in navigating the horizon of real estate investment opportunities.
- FINRA Regulatory Notice 23-08: Building on Regulatory Notice 10-22 to Develop More Robust Due Diligence of Private Placement Offeringsby jake@factright.com (Jacob Heidkamp) on June 28, 2023 at 6:26 pm
FINRA recently released Regulatory Notice 23-08, which provides a reminder to FINRA members of their reasonable investigation obligations when selling private placement investments to their clients under Regulation D. The Regulatory Notice marks FINRA’s first substantial discussion of due diligence related to private offerings since Regulatory Notice 10-22, which was released in April 2010, and forms a crucial part of the foundation of broker-dealer due diligence practices in satisfying their reasonable investigation requirements for offering private placement investment opportunities for their clients. While Regulatory Notice 23-08 does not create new legal or regulatory requirements or new interpretations of existing regulations, the notice does identify areas for consideration and focus for FINRA members in establishing new or modifying existing practices, based on certain observations and examples that FINRA has included in the Regulatory Notice 23-08. In this blog, we will explore some of these areas of focus and some practical steps broker-dealers can take to enhance their due diligence practices based on areas identified in Regulatory Notice 23-08.
- Not All Units Are Created Equal in Broker-Dealer and RIA-Distributed Investment Programsby gail@factright.com (Gail Schneck) on June 13, 2023 at 3:44 pm
This blog looks at what unit pricing in an investment program offering means to your investors and how to determine whether such pricing treats all investors “fairly.”
- Highlights from FactRight's 2023 RIA Spring Due Diligence Conferenceby sarah@factright.com (Sarah Thommes) on March 23, 2023 at 4:42 pm
We say this every conference, but we are so beyond grateful to all of you for making this Spring RIA Due Diligence Conference in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona such a success! With over 350 total attendees, the FactRight staff cannot be more appreciative of your continued support and participation.