Surviving Distress: How to Talk to Your Lender and Appraise Your Ego
Jacobs P.C.
The First Move: Survival Starts with Letting Go
What do you do when your lender won’t answer — and your project’s worth less than half what you promised?
Leo Jacobs opens the ReDeal series with a fire-tested blueprint for survival in distressed markets.
This isn’t a panel.
This is a stage talk from the trenches of $5B+ in real debt and equity restructurings — shared live with borrowers, developers, and attorneys facing the fallout of broken deals and massive guarantees.
Face the Asset. Not the Appraisal.
The first rule? Stop thinking like a borrower.
Start thinking like your lender.
That means shifting from:
❌ “What do I think it’s worth?”
✅ “What does my lender think it’s worth?”
Because if they see your $100M condo as a $35M liability — your opinion is just noise.
Appraise Your Greed
Leo breaks down a case study involving Starwood, where ego nearly cost the client everything.
What changed the outcome?
- Letting go of toxic assets
- Evaluating the portfolio instead of fighting for one sinking project
- Entering a structured communication campaign — not litigation
The key takeaway?
“Holding on for tomorrow’s value can destroy today’s viability.”
How Real Leverage is Built
Leo outlines three ways to create leverage in distress:
- Time – Extend the runway and let the market improve
- New Note Buyers – Replace aggression with alignment
- Be a Resource – Help the lender recover, not just yourself
And most importantly — know when to turn the tables without burning the bridge.
The Survival Playbook
This episode isn't about theory. It’s about:
- How to approach lenders with precision
- Why letting go is sometimes the strongest move
- How to shift posture from reactive to proactive
- And how ego — unchecked — is the silent killer of distressed deals
If you’re facing capital calls, underwater assets, or partner exits, this is the episode to start with.
📌 Watch Now
🎧 Watch ReDeal Episode 3 now — and learn how real survival starts with the hard truth.
PODCAST - Confronting the Impossible with Leo Jacobs.
Leo Jacobs, Founder and CEO of Jacobs PC
Known for finding creative, expedient solutions to complex and high-profile cases, Leo excels in matters including distressed investment and asset management, real estate law, corporate law, dispute resolution, business divorces, negotiation, and more. Leo’s extensive expertise in debt and equity structures enables him to employ a full spectrum of legal tools to achieve swift, optimal results for clients. His practice, Jacobs P.C., bridges commercial litigation, corporate transactions, and financial rehabilitation, handling cases across federal, state, and bankruptcy courts, as well as administrative tribunals.
If you would like to join the podcast email requests to pr@jacobspc.com
