Scott S. Thompson

The New York Society of Security Analysts, Inc. operates as a financial services trade group and networking forum for wall street and provides Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam. The company was founded in 1937 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Founded in 1989, FBR Capital Markets & Co., formerly Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co., is a broker/dealer headquartered in Arlington, Virginia with additional offices throughout the US. The firm is a subsidiary of FBR Capital Markets Holdings, Inc.. and their ultimate parent is FBR & Co. (NASDAQ: FBRC). In 2007, FBR Capital Markets Corp. was spun out from FBR Group as an independent investment bank, of which FBR Group retained majority ownership. FBR Capital Markets is registered with the SEC and is a member of FINRA, Nasdaq and the SIPC. FBR Capital Markets' Equity Sales & Trading Group provides institutional sales and trading services to over 1300 institutional accounts in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia. Their clients include mutual funds, hedge funds, money managers, endowments, foundations, banks, insurance companies and pension and profit sharing plans. They actively trade on behalf of clients and make markets in almost 1000 stocks traded on the NYSE, listed and OTC markets and trade more than $100 billion of securities on a per annum basis. In 2009, FBR Capital Markets began making markets in selected stocks traded on the London Stock Exchange and Euronext. In addition to agency trading in listed securities markets, they act as market-maker in Nasdaq and other OTC securities. They are one of the largest distributors of the shares of small- and mid-cap companies in public and private securities offerings and have deep trading expertise in the vertical industry groups in which the firm's investment banking and research teams specialize. These sectors include: (1) consumer (2) diversified industrials (3) energy and natural resources (4) financial institutions (5) healthcare (6) insurance (7) real estate (8) Washington policy analysis and (0) technology, media and telecommunications. The firm's analytical coverage includes a large number of small- and mid-cap companies in addition to large companies. Research is provided by FBR Capital Markets' research department, which is independent from the firm's investment banking department and has the sole authority to determine which companies receive research coverage and the recommendation contained in the coverage.

Founded in 2001, Macquarie Capital (USA), Inc. is a registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Macquarie Bank Ltd. (ASX: MBL). They provide coverage of the following industries: resources, healthcare, security/defense, transportation, financial services, retail/consumer products, TMET (telecommunications, media, entertainment and technology), oil & gas, diversified manufacturing/distribution and infrastructure/utilities. Macquarie Capital (USA), Inc. is a member of FINRA.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Banc of America Securities (BAS) is the investment banking subsidiary of Bank of America Corp (NYSE: BAC). The firm provides both the domestic and international equity and investment banking markets, and pursues a strategy pioneered by Citigroup that combines corporate lending with investment banking advice and services. They provide high-yield debt underwriting and leveraged finance, in addition to industry coverage groups such as healthcare, media and telecom, financial institutions, real estate and gaming. BAS also does a significant amount of work for Financial Sponsors, or private equity firms, often financing leveraged transactions. Following the strategy of Goldman Sachs, the firm lacks a standalone mergers and acquisitions department, instead employing mergers and acquisitions senior bankers throughout the industry coverage groups. The firm is registered as a broker/dealer with the SEC, is a member of the NYSE, and the NASD. The use of Banc in the BAS's name is indicative of the fact that the company is not a bank, and their deposits and other holdings are not insured by the FDIC.

Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc. is a global investment banking, securities trading and brokerage firm located in New York City with additional offices in Dallas, Boston and San Francisco. The firm is a subsidiary Bear Sterns Cos., Inc. (NYSE: BSC). Their equity research team consists of senior analysts located throughout the world. In addition to domestic coverage, they have research teams focusing on Latin America, Asia and Europe. The analysts use a bottom-up approach to stock selection. The Bear Stearns fixed-income research department provides coverage of every sector of the fixed-income universe. The financial analytics and structured transactions group (F.A.S.T) provides investment research, fixed-income portfolio management and analytical systems, trading technology and general financial expertise. The group also provides a broad range of services to financial institutions including asset-liability management, balance sheet restructuring, receivables-based financing analysis, security and portfolio analysis, peer analysis, and historical and real-time market-based information.

Protel Systems & Supplies, Inc. operates as a retailer of telephone and communication equipment. The firm offers business phones, structured cable, networks, security systems and Internet services. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Springfield, MO.

Wedbush Securities, Inc. is a full-service investment bank and brokerage firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm was founded in 1955 as Wedbush Morgan Securities, Inc. They are a subsidiary of Wedbush Financial Services LLC, which is owned by Wedbush, Inc. Wedbush Securities provides a wide range of securities brokerage, wealth management, and investment banking services to private and institutional clients. Their research focuses on providing coverage of small and mid-sized companies in the following industries: (1) consumer products and services (2) technology (3) entertainment and media (4) life sciences and (5) industrial growth and clean technology.