R.J. O'Brien Further Expands Chicago Institutional Brokerage Operation

CHICAGO, July 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- R.J. O'Brien & Associates (RJO), the oldest and largest independent futures brokerage and clearing firm in the United States, announced that the firm has set the stage for further expansion of its Chicago institutional brokerage operation.  RJO exercised an option for more square footage on the floor that houses its institutional group, renovated and expanded the trading floor the firm established in 2010, and prepared space to attract new experienced teams of institutional brokers.

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RJO Chairman and CEO Gerald Corcoran said: "We launched a campaign in 2010 to draw experienced institutional brokers to Chicago, building on our successful operation in New York.  That effort brought great results and as of today roughly doubled our institutional brokerage professionals in Chicago.  Now we've put additional infrastructure in place that expands the footprint further to accommodate new talented teams of professionals and institutional clients."

Located in RJO headquarters at 222 S. Riverside Plaza, the institutional group in Chicago is supported onsite by a team of operations and IT professionals.  RJO has also experienced growth in its institutional sector from offices in New York, London, Hong Kong and Canada.  The brokers include teams that specialize in certain product areas, including grains, interest rates and metals, as well as global markets teams.

Said Matthew Rees, Chief Customer Officer: "We have state-of-the-art technology in place to give these professionals everything they need – well-equipped trading stations, real-time access to global markets, and optimal environmental controls for the trading floor.  We get very positive feedback from our institutional brokers and clients globally on our terrific Market Insights product and extraordinarily high level of service that's been a hallmark of RJO."

R.J. O'Brien also serves a growing middle market base of clients, including Fortune 1000 companies, small to mid-size corporate, industrial and agricultural firms, introducing brokers, high net worth individuals and commodity trading advisors.

About R.J. O'Brien

Founded in 1914, RJO is the largest independent futures brokerage firm in the United States, serving institutional, commercial and individual clients globally, in addition to a network of 400 introducing brokers (IB). Clearing more than 100,000 client accounts, RJO services the industry's most expansive global network of IBs, a vast array of middle market firms and many of the world's largest financial, industrial and agricultural institutions. The firm offers state-of-the-art electronic trading and 24-hour trade execution on every futures exchange worldwide.

SOURCE R.J. O'Brien & Associates