NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. (KBW), a full-service investment bank and broker-dealer that specializes in the financial services sector, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF), today announced several senior investment banking hires. Keith Meyers, Michael Jones and Ken Taratus have joined KBW as Managing Directors. Also joining KBW are Jim Chester as Director and Irena Snider as Vice President. The five seasoned professionals are coming onboard to broaden and deepen the firm’s investment banking practice with a focus on non-bank financial services sub-sectors.

“The financial services industry is evolving at a rapid pace and our new colleagues bring extensive experience focusing on some of the fastest growing and most innovative companies in the sector,” said Thomas Michaud, KBW CEO. “We believe these individuals will significantly enhance our capabilities and deliver added value to our clients.”

Keith Meyers has been named Managing Director based in Atlanta and will lead KBW’s new Financial Services Group, which serves clients in the specialty finance, mortgage banking, financial technology, brokerage and asset management sectors. Mr. Meyers brings more than 15 years of relevant experience serving both strategic and private equity investors in the financial services sector. He joins KBW from Raymond James’ Financial Services Investment Banking Group. Previously, he served as Head of the Financial Services & Transaction Processing Investment Banking Group at Morgan Keegan & Company. Earlier in his career, he worked in the business advisory and insurance practice at Deloitte & Touche.

Michael Jones joins KBW as Managing Director, based in Chicago, and will be Co-Head of Specialty Finance. Mr. Jones has spent the past 16 years as a senior member of the Financial Services Investment Banking Group at Raymond James, focused primarily on specialty finance companies. He previously served as an investment banker at ABN AMRO and spent several years working in the Debt Markets division at Merrill Lynch.

Ken Taratus has also been named Managing Director, based in Atlanta and will work on expanding KBW’s range of debt and equity financing capabilities. Mr. Taratus joins KBW from the Raymond James Private Placement Group. He was previously Head of Debt Placements at Morgan Keegan and served as a member of the firm’s Investment Banking Management Committee. His experience also includes several years at Jefferies & Company and Drexel Burnham Lambert.

“As the leading advisor to the financial services industry, KBW continues to make significant investments in our investment banking franchise,” noted Peter J. Wirth, KBW Executive Vice President and Head of Investment Banking. “I am excited to add these talented individuals to our team and build on KBW’s long history of serving clients across the financial services landscape.”

“KBW provides an unmatched platform for us to serve clients with broad advisory and capital-raising capabilities,” said Keith Meyers. “We are thrilled to join KBW, known throughout the industry for bringing unique and nuanced insight to the financial services community.”

About KBW

KBW LLC, a Stifel company, operates in the U.S. and Europe through its broker dealer, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. For more than 50 years, KBW has established itself as a leading authority in the banking, insurance, specialty finance, mortgage banking, financial technology, brokerage and asset management sectors. Founded in 1962, the firm maintains industry-leading positions in the areas of research, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions as well as sales and trading in equities securities of financial services companies.

Stifel Company Information

Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifel’s broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated; Keefe Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC; Century Securities Associates, Inc.; and Eaton Partners, LLC, and in the United Kingdom and Europe through Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited. The Company’s broker-dealer affiliates provide securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank & Trust offers a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. and Stifel Trust Company Delaware, N.A. offer trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Company’s web site at www.stifel.com.

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