Structured Finance Industry Group Announces Election Of Permanent Board Of Directors

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Structured Finance Industry Group, Inc. ("SFIG"), a member-based trade industry advocacy group focused on improving and strengthening the broader structured finance and securitization market, today announced that it has elected a permanent Board of Directors consisting of representatives from 40 member organizations.  Reggie Imamura of PNC Financial Services Group will serve as chairman of the Board, with Christopher Haas of Bank of America Merrill Lynch as vice chairman, Gregg Silver of 1^st Financial Bank USA as treasurer and Jordan Schwartz of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP as secretary. 

The Board will oversee all of SFIG's activities including directing policy initiatives, advising on advocacy efforts, organizing educational events and ensuring the organization properly represents the full spectrum of views of its members.  As previously announced, Richard Johns, Executive Director of SFIG, will report to the Board.    

"The elections mark an important milestone for our organization, which has rapidly become a recognized voice in the securitization industry thanks to the hard work of our dedicated membership," said Mr. Imamura.  "I am pleased to help lead this impressive gathering of industry leaders to support SFIG as it continues to grow." 

Driven by a commitment to represent all member constituencies' viewpoints – a foundational principle for the organization that is included within the group's bylaws - the Board has a balanced allocation from key member groups including eight directors each from investors, banks and issuers.  Other groups represented include accounting firms, rating agencies, law firms, servicers, research firms, trustees and one at-large representative.  The Board also includes an allocation for one member organization that has a defined tie in to the Association for Financial Markets in Europe ("AFME") to aid communication and coordination between the two organizations.  Board members will serve two year terms with no more than half of the Board up for election each year.  As a result, half of the current Board will initially serve a one-year term.

In addition to the full Board, SFIG also announced that it has elected chairpersons for its approximately 30 committees and task force working groups.  Additional detail on the committees and chairpersons will be available shortly at SFIG's website; www.sfindustry.org.  These committees are tasked with guiding critical initiatives for the membership including organizing SFIG's annual conference in January as well as leading near-term advocacy efforts such as SFIG's recent amicus curiae brief filed in support of the plaintiffs against Richmond, California's inappropriate use of eminent domain.    

"Since our founding, SFIG has felt strongly in being open and transparent with all our stakeholders," said Richard Johns, Executive Director of SFIG.  "This is why we put on our website, our member list, policy platform and now our committees.  These teams are on the front lines of driving our organization so it is critical for all our members to understand what is being planned and who are the people leading these initiatives."

A full list of SFIG's permanent board of directors is below.

Officers:

• Chair: Reggie Imamura, PNC Financial Services Group
• Deputy Chair: Christopher Haas, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
• Secretary:  Jordan Schwartz, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
• Treasurer:  Gregg Silver, 1st Financial Bank USA

Executive Committee

• Tom Davidson, GE Capital
• Howard Kaplan, Deloitte & Touche LLP
• Valerie Kay, Morgan Stanley
• Samuel Smith, Ford Motor Company
• Kevin Sweeney, Discover Financial Services

Board members

• Jim Ahern, Societe Generale (AFME member)
• John Arnholz, Bingham McCutchen LLP
• Bob Behal, Vanguard
• Allan Berliant, GMO LLC
• Andy Berman, Fortress Investment Group LLC
• Christopher DiAngelo, Katten Muchin Rosenmann LLP
• Sean Dobson, Amherst Securities Group, LP
• Dave Duzyk, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Pat Evans, Wilmington Trust Company
• Bill Felts, Citigroup, Inc.
• Lisa Filomia, Ernst & Young LLP
• Tom Finke, Babson Capital Management LLC
• Steven Grundleger, Ocwen Financial Corporation
• Tricia Hazelwood, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.
• Jay Kim, Credit Suisse Group AG
• Jason Kravitt, Mayer Brown
• Gary Horbacz, Prudential Investment Management 
• Steve Kudenholdt, Dentons
• Pia McCusker, State Street Global Advisors
• Claire Mezzanotte, DBRS Inc.  
• Tim Mohan, Chapman and Cutler LLP
• William Moliski, Redwood Trust, Inc.
• Doug Murray, Fitch Ratings
• Ned Myers, Lewtan
• Christopher Pink, Wells Fargo Bank N.A.
• Saul Sanders, Shellpoint Partners LLC
• Brad Schwartz, Blue Mountain Capital Management LLC
• Faith Schwartz, CoreLogic
• Susan Sheffield, General Motors Financial Company, Inc.
• Diane Wold, Two Harbors Investment Corp.

About Structured Finance Industry Group, Inc.
Structured Finance Industry Group, Inc. ("SFIG") is a member-based, trade industry advocacy group focused on improving and strengthening the broader structured finance and securitization market. SFIG provides an inclusive network for securitization professionals to collaborate and, as industry leaders, drive necessary changes, be an advocate for the securitization community, share best practices and innovative ideas, and educate industry members through conferences and other programs. Members of SFIG represent all sectors of the securitization market including issuers, investors, financial intermediaries, law firms, accounting firms, technology firms, rating agencies, servicers, and trustees.  Further information can be found at www.sfindustry.org

SOURCE Structured Finance Industry Group, Inc.