Andrew L. Berger joins Sterne Agee Executive Committee Birmingham, Ala, (January 2, 2007) Andrew L. Berger has joined Sterne Agee in its New York office as Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee. Berger comes to Sterne Agee from C.E. Unterberg, Towbin, an investment banking firm in New York, where he was Chairman of its asset management business and oversaw its investment banking and private client businesses. Prior to working for Unterberg, Towbin, Mr. Berger was a member of the Executive Management of Union Bancaire Privee, a family-owned private bank in Geneva, Switzerland. From 1994-1998, Mr. Berger served as Managing Director of Lehman Brothers International (Europe) in London where he was a member of the European Management Committee. Prior to that, Mr. Berger held senior management positions at Wertheim Schroder & Company and L.F. Rothschild & Company in New York. Within the securities industry, Mr. Berger served as a member of the Board of Governors of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. from 1990-1993. He was also a member of the Emerging Markets Advisory Committee for the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission from 1991-1993. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Thermadyne Holdings Corporation in St. Louis. Mr. Berger graduated Summa Cum Laude from Lehigh University. He earned his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. Founded in 1901, Sterne Agee is one of the oldest and largest privately owned brokerage firms in the country. A member of the New York Stock Exchange, Sterne Agee has headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama and offices in 18 states. For more information contact: Leah McKinney Senior Vice President 205.949.3564 lmckinney@sterneagee.com