Mesirow Acquires Leading Asset-Backed Lender, Bastion Management, in Strategic Expansion of Firm's Alternative Investments Capabilities

• Bastion will operate within Mesirow Global Investment Management and serve as the platform for Mesirow's Private Credit – Asset-Backed Lending expansion
• Acquisition marks the next phase of Mesirow's strategic plan to expand firm's alternatives capabilities for institutional investors and high net worth clients
• Addition of differentiated private credit product complements firm's existing alternatives capabilities: Mesirow Currency Management, Mesirow Private Equity and Mesirow Institutional Real Estate Direct Investments

CHICAGO, Jan. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mesirow, an independent, employee-owned financial services firm, today announced that it has acquired Bastion Management, an asset-backed specialty finance lender. The acquisition closed on December 31, 2024.

Founded in 2013 and based in Stamford, CT, Bastion is a private credit manager that focuses on the asset-backed specialty finance space, lending to the lower middle market across sectors and geographies and creating bespoke financing solutions that seek compelling returns with robust downside protection. The firm serves a sophisticated investor base of endowments, institutional investors, family offices, and high net worth individuals and has completed over 50 transactions totaling more than $2 billion in commitments over the past 13 years.

"We are pleased to welcome Bastion to Mesirow as we extend our alternatives offering in the asset-backed lending space," said Natalie Brown, Mesirow CEO. "The Bastion team has built an impressive business and culture that aligns well with our own, and we are confident that they will be an integral part of Mesirow's ongoing growth and success."

"We are thrilled to join Mesirow, an independent, employee-owned firm whose client-centric approach and emphasis on long-term relationships align seamlessly with our own values," said Jay Braden, CEO of Bastion. "Mesirow's robust distribution platform will enable us to accelerate our growth while continuing to deliver exceptional service to our clients. We are proud of our historical performance and excited about the opportunities this partnership brings to expand our lending platform and build on our success."

"As Mesirow continues to execute its growth strategy, focused on adding best-in-class products to better serve our clients, Bastion's strong returns and top-tier client servicing in an attractive market make them a great addition to the Mesirow platform," said Ketan Shah, Mesirow Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel. 

DLA served as legal advisors to Mesirow. Berkshire Global Advisors served as financial advisor to Bastion and Latham Watkins served as Bastion's legal advisors. 

Going forward, Mesirow also remains focused on its existing set of established alternatives capabilities – Mesirow Currency Management, Mesirow Private Equity and Mesirow Institutional Real Estate Direct Investments – as well as the firm's wealth management, fiduciary services, and capital markets/investment banking offerings.

Mesirow has $302.6B in total assets under supervision as of September 30, 2024.¹ For more information, please visit mesirow.com.

About Mesirow 
Mesirow is an independent, employee-owned financial services firm founded in 1937. Headquartered in Chicago, with offices around the world, we serve clients through a personal, custom approach to reaching financial goals and acting as a force for social good. With capabilities spanning Global Investment Management, Capital Markets & Investment Banking, and Advisory Services, we invest in what matters: our clients, our communities and our culture. To learn more, visit mesirow.com, follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to Spark, our quarterly newsletter.

Mesirow has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Chicago by Crain's Chicago Business multiple times and is one of Barron's Top 100 RIA firms.

About Bastion Management
Bastion is a private investment firm that provides creative financing solutions to small and midsized businesses operating in the alternative finance space throughout North America and in the UK. Over a decade since its inception, Bastion has closed over 50 transactions and more than $2 billion in total commitments to traditional consumer lending platforms and emerging companies in the financial technology industry. Bastion has a successful track record partnering with companies that have strong management teams and committed equity backing in support of the initial growth stage through to public listing.

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Michael Herley | 203.308.1409

Mesirow refers to Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc. and its divisions, subsidiaries and affiliates. The Mesirow name and logo are registered service marks of Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc., © 2024, Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved. Investment management services provided through Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc., Mesirow Institutional Investment Management, Inc. and Mesirow Financial Private Equity Advisors, Inc., all SEC-registered investment advisor, a CFTC registered commodity trading advisors and member of the NFA, or Mesirow Financial International UK, Ltd. ("MFIUK"), authorized and regulated by the FCA, depending on the jurisdiction.

Award recognition disclosures: mesirow.com/award-recognition-disclosures

As of 9.30.2024 unless otherwise noted. | 1. "Assets under supervision" includes regulatory assets under management; assets under advisement; and non-securities currency assets under management. For these purposes: (1) regulatory assets under management ("RAUM") is calculated in accordance with Instruction 5A of Form ADV and includes all assets of securities portfolios (both discretionary and non-discretionary). (2) Some assets under advisement ("AUA") are on a 45-to-90-day lag due to time needed to confirm away assets. (3) Currency assets under management includes AUM associated with (i) active and passive currency risk management products $173.90 billion, (ii) non-fx overlay strategies such as equitization and beta overlays $908.34 million, and (iii) alpha strategies $1.63 billion. In all such cases, AUM is calculated based on notional value of currency investments. Additionally, AUM for alpha strategies is adjusted because clients can select a volatility target (generally between 2% and 12% annualized), which is normalized to 2% in order to create a consistent depiction of alpha strategy AUM. This results in a "scaled" AUM, which is higher than the actual aggregate notional value of all alpha strategy portfolios if clients have selected a volatility target higher than 2%. As of 9.30.2024, the "unscaled" AUM for alpha strategies was $383.56 million.

SOURCE Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc.