LONDON & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jefferies today announced eight key appointments within the investment bank’s Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities (MBS/ABS) Group, part of the Fixed Income Division at Jefferies.

• Steven Hulett joins as a Managing Director and Co-Head of Jefferies’ European MBS/ABS Group. He joins from Royal Bank of Scotland where he was a Managing Director and Co-Head of the Structured Product & Solutions Credit Group. Previously, Mr. Hulett was a Managing Director at Lehman Brothers, where he worked for 14 years. He is based in London.
• Craig Tipping also joins as a Managing Director and Co-Head of Jefferies’ European MBS/ABS Group. He joins from Nomura where he was an Executive Director and Head of ABS Trading, and previously worked at Lehman Brothers. He is based in London.
• Marc Allison joins as a Senior Vice President for MBS/ABS Sales. He joins from Royal Bank of Scotland where he was a Director in the Structured Product & Solutions Credit Group. He is based in London.
• Marion Guilbert joins as a Senior Vice President for MBS/ABS Sales. She was most recently at Lehman Brothers where she was a Senior Vice President for the Securitized Product Sales Group. She is based in London.
• Dennis Hollands joins as a Senior Vice President for MBS/ABS Sales. He joins from Royal Bank of Scotland where he was a Director in the Structured Product & Solutions Credit Group. He is based in London.
• Jason O’Brien joins as a Senior Vice President for MBS/ABS Sales. He joins from Royal Bank of Scotland where he was a Director in the Structured Product & Solutions Credit Group. He is based in London.
• Edward Tunstall joins as a Senior Vice President for MBS/ABS Sales. He joins from Nomura where he was a Senior Vice President for the Securitised Product Sales Group and previously worked at Lehman Brothers. He is based in London.
• Hitoshi Masumizu joins as a Managing Director and Head of Jefferies’ Asia MBS/ABS Group. He joins from Potomac Capital Limited where he was Head of Investment Banking, and previously worked at Countrywide Capital Markets Asia where he headed the Financial Product Division for the Asia Pacific region. He is based in Tokyo.

In a joint statement, Johan Eveland and William H. Jennings II, Co-Heads of the Global

MBS/ABS Group at Jefferies, said:

"Steven and Craig's history of excellence and client relationships as well as their team of strategic hires give Jefferies the strong foundation to continue the global expansion of our MBS/ABS platform into Europe and Asia. Hitoshi's 15 years of experience and leadership as well as his hand-picked team will provide Jefferies with experience and longstanding relationships in our Asian offices. We are very pleased to attract these seasoned professionals to lead our effort overseas."

David Weaver, President of Jefferies International, and Tim Cronin, Global Head of Jefferies’ Fixed Income Division, also jointly commented:

“We are delighted to welcome these outstanding professionals to Jefferies’ MBS/ABS effort. Their experience and strong relationships will make an immediate contribution to the firm’s global sales and trading platform in these key markets.”

In July Jefferies announced the addition of Lisa Pendergast as Head of CMBS Strategy and Risk, and added US sales teams in Boston and Chicago. The Firm’s MBS/ABS group now includes approximately 70 sales, trading and origination professionals in the US, Europe and Asia. Jefferies was also ranked as the #1 bookrunner of US MBS origination for 2008.

About Jefferies

Jefferies, a major global securities and investment banking group, has served companies and their investors for more than 45 years. Headquartered in New York City, with offices in more than 25 cities around the world, Jefferies provides clients with capital markets and financial advisory services, institutional brokerage, securities research and asset management. Jefferies & Company, Inc. is the principal operating subsidiary of Jefferies Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF: www.jefferies.com). Jefferies International Limited, a UK-incorporated, wholly owned subsidiary of Jefferies Group, Inc., is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Services Authority.