Birmingham, AL (February 27, 2008) – Carlos Sharpless, Managing Director, and Richard Acosta, Senior Vice President, join Sterne Agee in Texas to spearhead the firm’s public finance activities in that state.
Mr. Sharpless and Mr. Acosta, are charged with coordinating and expanding Sterne Agee’s public finance banking activities in Texas and will open offices in Houston and San Antonio respectively. Sterne Agee currently has a fixed income office in Dallas.
Mr. Sharpless will manage the Texas region and joins the firm with 29 years of investment banking experience. He began his public finance career with First Southwest Company in 1983 and has served in the public finance departments of Dillon Read, Bear Stearns, and most recently, Popular Securities as its manager of the Southwestern region. Mr. Sharpless holds a BSFS from Georgetown University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
Mr. Acosta also served previously at Popular Securities with Mr. Sharpless and has seven years public finance experience in the Texas market. Mr. Acosta received a BBA in Management from Texas A&M University and a MBA in Finance from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Mr. Sharpless and Mr. Acosta have participated in over $8 billion in transactions in the last five years for a variety of major Texas issuers.
Under Mr. Sharpless and Mr. Acosta’s leadership, along with the support of the firm’s institutional sales and retail sales force, located in 33 offices in 22 states, Sterne Agee is well- positioned to provide a full range of public finance underwriting, financial advisory and swap advisory services to Texas clients.
Hanson Slaughter, Senior Managing Director and Manager of Public Finance, said “Sterne Agee is pleased and excited to have these two seasoned veterans join the firm and views the Texas market as a key strategic focal point to expand the firm’s public finance business.”
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.
For more information contact:
Leah McKinney
Senior Vice Presdent
205.949.3564
lmckinney@sterneagee.com