Sir Allen Stanford

Archived April 29, 2005

Former Secretary of State General Colin Powell to Deliver Keynote Address

Other Keynote Speakers Include Senior-Level Officials and Policymakers from Capitol Hill and the Executive Branch

Washington, D.C. - April 29, 2005 - Stanford Washington Research Group, the foremost policy research organization based in the nation’s capital, today announced keynote speakers and the agenda for its first-ever multi-track institutional policy conference to take place May 4-6, 2005 in Washington, D.C.

For the first time, Stanford Washington Research Group will bring together all of its highly regarded annual sector conferences - Healthcare, Telecom/Media, Defense/IT and its annual symposium - for a multi-track conference: the 2005 Institutional Policy Conference at the JW Marriott Hotel at 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue. The event will be attended by clients and invited Stanford Group Company guests, which include portfolio managers, analysts, money managers, directors of research, economists and high-net worth individuals.

Beginning with a luncheon on Wednesday, May 4, and highlighted by a keynote speech by former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell (Ret.) that evening, speakers at the three-day conference will include senior-level officials and policymakers from Capitol Hill and the Executive Branch.

Additional keynote speakers announced to date include: Congressman Pete King, Member, Committee on Homeland Security; Congressman Chip Pickering, Vice Chair of the House Commerce Committee; George Will, Political Columnist; Chairman Pat Wood, III, FERC; Jonathan Adelstein, FCC Commissioner; R. Hewitt Pate, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, DOJ; J. Bruce McDonald, Deputy Asst. Attorney General for Antitrust DOJ; Michael J. Zamorski, Dir. of Supervision and Consumer Protection, FDIC; Leslie Norwalk, Deputy Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Steven C. Parrish, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Altria Group, Inc.; and Erik Peterson, SVP, William A. Schreyer Chair in Global Analysis, Dir. Global Strategy Institute, Ctr. for Strategic & International Studies.

For more information or to register for the conference, visit www.stanfordgroup.com.

Ed Garlich, senior managing director and cofounder, Stanford Washington Research Group, said, “The Stanford Washington Research Group’s 30-plus-year tradition of providing unique, in-depth analysis and broad policy coverage will enable us to deliver a highly valuable multi-track conference that will address the most compelling macro and sector policy issues facing institutional investors today. The new addition to our conference of the Stanford Group Company’s equity research team will also provide complementary insights to our very influential audience.”

In another first, resulting from the new partnership between Stanford Group and Washington Research Group, Stanford’s equity research team will bring a lineup of company presentations to augment the policymakers’ observations.

The first day of the conference, Wednesday, May 4, will focus on Telecom and Media; day two, Thursday, May 5, will cover Health Care, Government IT/Defense, Energy/Power and Macro issues. The final day, Friday, May 6, will include discussions of Health Care, Government IT/Defense, Financial Services and Agribusiness Biotechnology.

Some of the macro topics that will be discussed at the conference include Social Security reform, fiscal and monetary policy, Iraq and the Middle East peace process, international trade, tax reforms, tort and liability reforms.

Stanford WRG: Unique Policy Insights for Institutional Investors

The mission of Stanford Washington Research Group is to help clients understand Washington decision-making in a Wall Street context. Founded more than 30 years ago and based in the nation’s capital, the group has over 20 publishing policy analysts with a minimum of at least 10 years of industry experience. Stanford WRG analysts cover upwards of 10 sectors and hold several annual conferences covering industry areas that include Healthcare, Telecom, Financial Services, Technology & Defense, Environment and Water, in addition to an annual Policy Symposium.

Through its deep relationships on Capitol Hill, in the White House and with regulatory agencies, Stanford WRG analysts provide timely analysis of policy, regulatory, legislative and judicial developments. Stanford WRG issues more than 30 written publications per week, including industry bulletins, an economic monthly, and weekly/biweekly newsletters. Its analysts’ experience includes the White House, Congress, Federal Reserve, FDA, United Nations, Federal Communications Commission, Department of Defense, U.S. Court of Appeals, National Cancer Institute, Deloitte & Touche and various news organizations.

Among its many accolades, Stanford WRG has consistently been ranked in the top three for Macro/Washington research by Institutional Investor magazine.

Archived April 20, 2005

Michael Guptan, Managing Director; Gene Ramirez, Vice President; and Javier Warra, Vice President Bring Strong Experience in Key Sectors

Group Executes More Than 20 Transactions in First Year

Miami, FL, NY - April 20, 2005 - Stanford Group Company today announced, as part of an aggressive growth plan, three new hires in its investment banking group, including Managing Director Michael Guptan, who brings more than 15 years of experience working in strategic and financial advisory roles with technology companies.

Guptan’s previous experience includes senior investment banking positions at Salomon Smith Barney and Credit Suisse First Boston where he was involved in mergers and acquisitions, and restructuring and financing activities across the United States, Asia and Latin America. He also held leadership roles at McKinsey & Co. and at Hewlett Packard, where he worked in software development for the 64-bit RISC chip architecture, technology acquisitions and strategic planning. Guptan is an adjunct faculty member at New York University and has a master’s degree in business administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Additional appointments announced today include Vice Presidents Gene Ramirez and Javier Warra.

“The growth of our investment banking group and recruitment of superb talent from top bulge-bracket firms are part of Stanford Group’s aggressive plan to develop a full-service financial services company, building on the success of the Stanford Financial Group’s international private client business,” said Danny Bogar, managing director of Stanford Group Holdings. “Our strong capital backing, experienced professional team and deep commitment to the business positions us to establish a very competitive investment bank that offers a more entrepreneurial, personalized approach than the larger banks.”

“These advantages are allowing us to fill a void in the market for emerging growth companies that are underserved by other investment banks, establishing a full-fledged equity platform from day one and underwriting IPOs and secondary equity offerings,” Bogar said.

James Li, managing director and head of investment banking, Stanford Group Company, said: “Our business benefits from Stanford Group’s recently expanded research platform, which offers a unique combination of policy perspectives and fundamental equity research. This provides us with keen insights into companies and industries we cover that are often overlooked by the big banks. As a result, we believe we are very well-suited to help these mostly mid-cap clients with their financing and advisory needs and to make a more significant impact on their growth.”

“Michael Guptan, Gene Ramirez and Javier Warra exemplify the select group of professionals we are continuing to attract to SGC: talented bankers from top firms with deep experience in our core sectors who want to operate from a full-service platform while offering more personalized service to clients,” Li said.

Gene Ramirez held various positions at Robertson Stephens & Co. and Southwest Securities before joining Stanford Group. In addition, he founded two enterprise software companies based in Austin and brings a strong combination of investment banking, operational and strategic expertise to the firm. Ramirez has a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with a specialization in finance from the University of Texas at Austin. Javier Warra joined Stanford from Citigroup’s Salomon Smith Barney in New York, where he executed M&A and capital raising transactions in the consumer, food and retail sectors. Previously, he worked in M&A at Schroder & Co. and received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

New Hires Bring Investment Banking Team to 12 Professionals

Today’s announcement of three new hires brings Stanford Group’s investment banking team to 12 professionals based in Miami and Dallas. Since its debut in February of 2004, the group has already executed more than 20 transactions. Stanford Group’s investment banking team includes:

Li directs strategy and development for the firm’s emerging growth investment banking clients. He brings more than 15 years of experience in senior positions at several major Wall Street investment banks such as Citigroup’s Salomon Smith Barney, where he arranged billions of dollars of debt restructuring and equity financing for major U.S. and international corporations. Li also has considerable experience in mergers, acquisitions and privatizations in the United States, Asia and Latin America. Prior to Citigroup, Li worked in the M&A and corporate finance departments of Merrill Lynch in Singapore, Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong and J.P. Morgan in New York. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University.

Managing Director Nancy Huggins has more than 20 years of banking experience. She previously served as managing director at both Credit Suisse First Boston and Wassertstein, Perella. Huggins also has experience developing new banking operations, having been part of the teams that successfully started new offices for CSFB in Houston and Dallas and for Wasserstein, Perella in Dallas. She has also managed more than $10 billion in financing and advised on numerous M&A transactions.

Vice Presidents Tal Kimmel and James Newcomb. Kimmel joined Stanford from Lehman Bros. in New York, where he advised companies in the media and telecommunications sectors on private equity, M&A and public equity transactions. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Newcomb has held various positions at investment banks, including Robertson Stephens & Co in San Francisco, where he executed a wide range of mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, private placement financings and recapitalizations on behalf of middle-market companies in various industries. He received a master’s degree in business administration from Columbia Business School.

Associates Joshua Fiedler, Glenn Ketover, Andrea McCormick and John Nelson. Fiedler joined Stanford from Deutsche Bank in New York, where he was an associate in the Debt Capital Markets Group and in the Debt Private Placements Group. He also worked in the Yankee Capital Markets Group at Banc of America Securities LLC in New York. Ketover joined Stanford from Lehman Bros. in New York, where he worked in the Global Mergers & Acquisitions Group.

Prior to joining Stanford, McCormick worked as an associate in the Consumer and Healthcare Group for JP Morgan in New York, advising companies on M&A and LBO transactions. She has a master’s degree in business administration with honors from the University of Chicago. Nelson joined Stanford from Altium Capital, formerly Apax Partners Corporate Finance, in London, where he focused on private placements and M&A transactions in the media, retail and consumer sectors. He also worked at Merrill Lynch in the Corporate Finance Group and at CIBC World Markets in the Structured Products Group.

Analyst Mackenzie Lake joined Stanford from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York where she worked on corporate, project and structured finance transactions as a legal assistant. She also worked for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s TradeRoots program in Washington, D.C., and Santiago, Chile.

Archived April 18, 2005

Stanford Group Leases New Office Space in Prestigious Crescent Center

Key Hires Include Managing Directors Lori Bensing, Louis Schaufele and Virgil Harris for Private Client Services; Industry Veteran Nancy Huggins, Managing Director, Leads Investment Banking

Dallas, TX - April 18, 2005 - Stanford Group Company (SGC) today announced its expansion in the Dallas market for both institutional and private client services. The Company has leased office space in the prestigious Dallas Crescent Center and has made several key hires. The moves come as part of Stanford Group’s ambitious growth plan aimed at building a full-service wealth management, financial planning and financial services company, with a particularly strong focus in the Southeast U.S.

Stanford Group Company Opens Private Client Business in Dallas; Brings on Board Managing Directors Bensing, Schaufele and Harris

As part of its Dallas expansion, Stanford Group announced the appointment of three seasoned industry professionals. Lori Bensing, managing director, joins Stanford from Banc of America Securities and will helm the Dallas-based private client business.

SGC has also brought on board two Managing Directors, Investments, to manage its clients’ investment portfolios. Louis J. Schaufele and Virgil Harris bring more than 50 years of combined experience including positions at Credit Suisse First Boston, Lehman Bros., Banc of America, and Smith Barney. At Stanford Group, they are responsible for managing portfolios and investments for high net worth individuals and families.

Eddie Rollins, executive director of private client services, Stanford Group Company, said, “Stanford Group is pleased to offer high net worth individuals and organizations in Dallas a full suite of tailored wealth management services, including financial planning and advisory services, backed by the exceptional personalized customer service for which Stanford is known throughout the region and internationally. To demonstrate our commitment to serving the Dallas market, we have brought on board Lori Bensing, Louis Schaufele and Virgil Harris, three exceptional professionals with deep roots and longstanding, excellent reputations for investment management in the local community.”

Stanford Group Company Continues to Grow Dallas-Based Institutional Business

SGC’s new, Dallas-based private client business joins the Company’s local operations on the institutional side, established last year, which it will continue to expand. In Dallas, Stanford Group offers Investment Banking and Sales & Trading services to institutional clients.

Nancy Huggins, managing director, leads Investment Banking in Dallas. The group is continuing to hire bankers with particular expertise in the key sectors it covers and is moving its offices into Stanford Group’s Crescent Center space.

Huggins has more than 20 years of banking experience, and previously served as managing director at both Credit Suisse First Boston and at Wasserstein, Perella. Huggins also has experience developing new banking operations, having been part of the teams that successfully started new offices for CSFB in Houston and Dallas and for Wasserstein, Perella in Dallas. She has also managed over $10 billion in financing and advised on numerous M&A transactions.

Huggins stated, “Stanford Group’s Investment Banking team has a unique opportunity to fill a void in the market by serving emerging growth companies that are underserved by other investment banks. After helping start up and grow other successful new banking operations, I’m excited to be a part of Stanford’s team and to take advantage of this significant growth potential.”

Institutional Sales & Trading Clients in Dallas Benefit from SGC’s Enhanced Research Capabilities, Personalized Service and Deep Resources

Stanford Group’s Dallas-based Institutional Sales & Trading team has strong relationships with some of the largest institutional investors locally and in the Southwest. While many of their competitors have left the market, the Stanford Group institutional sales and trading team, with more than 80 years’ collective experience, remains strongly committed to their clients in this critical area.

Clients of Stanford Group’s Dallas-based Sales & Trading operation also benefit from the Company’s recent acquisition of the Washington Research Group, the foremost Washington, DC-based policy research organization. The Stanford Washington Research Group delivers timely, investment-relevant insights into Washington decision-making, which, paired with Stanford Group’s fundamental equity research, provides clients with a truly unique research offering.
Rocky Stein, managing director, Stanford Group Company Institutional Division, said, “At a time when many sales and trading businesses are scaling back their commitment to research and client service, we at Stanford Group are building a world class institutional division as part of our aggressive growth plan. Our institutional clients in Dallas can now benefit from the recent acquisition of Stanford Washington Research Group, which provides our clients with truly differentiated, value-added insights.”

Stein continued, “Stanford Group’s Institutional Sales & Trading division meets a significant unmet need in the marketplace. We offer clients the distinctive, personalized service they would expect from a boutique firm, yet backed by the resources of a much larger company, including world-class research and capital from Stanford Financial Group. “