Nearwater Appoints Kylie Duff as Global Head of Risk Retention and Structured Credit Capital Solutions

Appointment advances Nearwater's leadership in developing innovative capital solutions for the world's largest banks, asset managers, sponsors and originators

NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearwater today announced the appointment of Kylie Duff as Managing Director, Global Head of Risk Retention and Structured Credit Capital Solutions.

In keeping with the firm's continued focus on providing tailored capital solutions to clients, Duff will lead Nearwater's market-leading Risk Retention franchise across Securitized Products globally and build its Strategic Risk-Transfer platform. Duff will work closely with Nearwater's Liquid Markets and Capital Markets businesses to further expand the firm's financial-resource solutions for its clients. The strategic risk-transfer platform will seek to help bank clients manage regulatory capital, risk-weighted assets and concentrated credit exposures.

"Kylie's appointment reflects Nearwater's continued investment in the people, capabilities and infrastructure required to solve increasingly complex capital challenges for the world's leading financial institutions and credit-market participants," said James Peterson, Managing Partner of Nearwater. "Our clients look to Nearwater for solutions that bring together capital, structuring, regulatory expertise and execution. Kylie's extensive experience in structured finance, combined with her relationships across the global asset-management and investor communities, will help us broaden that leadership position and create a differentiated, scalable platform across risk retention and strategic risk transfer."

Duff joins Nearwater from Morgan Stanley, where she most recently served as North American Head of Structured Corporates Capital Markets. In that role, she led the origination, structuring and distribution of nearly $180 billion in volume across more than 350 CLO transactions.  She was responsible for managing relationships with leading asset managers and institutional investors as well as developing bespoke financing strategies for the firm's clients. In her 18 years at the bank, Duff has held roles in New York and London, covering the U.S. and European ABS, CLO, CMBS and RMBS markets.

"Nearwater's platform is centered around innovation and expertise," said Duff. "The firm is already a preeminent capital-solutions partner to major banks, asset managers and originators. I'm looking forward to expanding its existing risk-retention footprint, building its risk transfer business and leveraging Nearwater's ability to be nimble and creative in order to find new solutions for clients."

Duff will oversee the commercial and operating model for both businesses, including senior client and sponsor coverage, transaction structuring, investor engagement and distribution. She will also recruit and lead a dedicated team supporting the continued growth of the platform.

Duff's appointment follows two other recent senior additions to Nearwater's Risk Retention Financing Group.

Reggie Fernandez joins as a Managing Director, bringing more than 20 years of structured finance expertise across capital markets and trading. He most recently served as Managing Director at Natixis, where he was Head of Syndicate for Securitized Products. Fernandez holds an MBA in Finance from New York University and a BA from the College of Wooster.

Kevin Sorgi joins the firm's New York office as a Managing Director overseeing RMBS coverage. He brings more than 16 years of structured finance experience, with deep expertise in securitization and capital markets for residential mortgage loans. Sorgi previously served as an Executive Director in J.P. Morgan's Global Securitized Products Group, a Vice President in Citigroup's Global Securitized Markets Group and an Analyst in Deloitte & Touche LLP's Securitization and Transaction Services Group. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Loyola University Maryland.

About Nearwater

Nearwater is the established leader in developing and delivering innovative, client-driven capital and asset-based financing solutions to the world's leading banks, asset managers, sponsors and originators. Through its integrated Risk Retention Solutions, Liquid Markets and Capital Markets businesses, Nearwater combines flexible capital, market expertise, structuring capabilities and regulated infrastructure to help clients address funding, liquidity, balance-sheet, regulatory-capital and risk-transfer objectives. Nearwater Capital Markets, Limited is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a security-based swap dealer, and Nearwater Capital Markets Europe, Limited is a MiFID investment firm regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

SOURCE Nearwater Capital