Cantor Fitzgerald Europe to Acquire Certain Assets and Businesses of Seymour Pierce Limited

LONDON, Feb. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cantor Fitzgerald Europe, today announced the acquisition of certain assets and businesses of Seymour Pierce Limited, a small cap/mid-market investment bank (Seymour Pierce). The Seymour Pierce team joining Cantor Fitzgerald Europe will be led by Tom Forcier, who will become Chief Operating Officer of Cantor Fitzgerald Europe.  Rick Thompson and David McCreadie will transition to senior roles in Corporate Finance and Equities where they will join Gordon Neilly, Head of Corporate Finance in Europe, Angelo Sofocleous, Head of Market Making and Marc Altmann, Head of European Equities for Cantor. The team will be based in London and report to James Rowsell, Chief Executive Officer of Cantor Fitzgerald Europe.

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Through the acquisition, Cantor Fitzgerald Europe will add over 70 corporate clients across a range of sectors, and increase market making coverage by over 250 stocks, which were previously covered by Seymour Pierce.  The Seymour Pierce team will augment the corporate finance, corporate broking, equity research, equity sales and trading, and market making activities currently undertaken by Cantor Fitzgerald Europe which has an existing strength in closed end funds, the asset management and wealth management sectors. The Seymour Pierce team will add a capability in sectors including metals and mining, oil and gas, retail, life sciences and healthcare, property and support services.   

In addition, Cantor Fitzgerald Europe has been granted temporary NOMAD status by the London Stock Exchange subject to the employment of relevant staff and other criteria to enable Cantor to service the existing clients of Seymour Pierce.  Cantor Fitzgerald Europe is applying for permanent NOMAD status.

"Our acquisition of Seymour Pierce provides us with the opportunity to accelerate our strategy to provide full-service corporate finance and advisory services for clients, and to expand the reach and product specialisation of our established European equities business," said James Rowsell. "Cantor Fitzgerald Europe is positioning itself to become one of the leading advisers operating in the small – mid market segment of the UK market."

Tom Forcier said, "We anticipate a seamless transition and integration for our clients into the Cantor global platform, and look forward to augmenting the strengths of the corporate finance and market making teams."  

"Seymour Pierce is one of the most distinguished and experienced corporate stockbrokers in London, supporting our commitment to serving corporate clients with deep product expertise and a global distribution network.  The acquisition of the Seymour Pierce team underscores Cantor's continued commitment to providing our European corporate and institutional clients with unparalleled relationships and experience," said Shawn P. Matthews, Chief Executive Officer of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. 

Cantor Fitzgerald Europe has over 150 experienced sales and trading professionals focused on providing an array of financial services and products to meet the demands of institutional clients in all markets.  Cantor Fitzgerald Europe is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority (reference number 149380), and is a member of the London Stock Exchange. 

About Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald, a leading global financial services firm at the forefront of financial and technological innovation, has been a proven and resilient leader for over 65 years. Cantor Fitzgerald is a pre-eminent capital markets investment bank serving more than 5,000 institutional clients around the world, recognised for its strengths in institutional equity and fixed income sales and trading and for its expanding presence serving the middle market with investment banking services, prime brokerage and commercial real estate financing. Cantor Fitzgerald also is a leader in new businesses including advisory and asset management services, gaming technology, e-commerce and other ventures.  Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (part of the Cantor Fitzgerald Group) is one of 21 primary dealers authorised to trade U.S. government securities with The Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Cantor Fitzgerald's over 1,600 employees serve clients through over 30 locations, including major financial centres around the world in the Americas, Europe, Asia/Pacific and the Middle East. For more information please visit www.cantor.com.

Note to Editors: Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. is the parent entity of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Cantor Fitzgerald Europe. 

SOURCE Cantor Fitzgerald Europe