Stifel Nicolaus Weisel Announces Expansion of Its Financial Sponsors Group

ST. LOUIS, MO--(Marketwire - Sep 29, 2011) - Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) today announced the expansion of its Financial Sponsors Group with the addition of L.J. McKay and Thomas Prior as Managing Directors in the Investment Banking Group. Messrs. McKay and Prior, both of whom are based in New York, join Managing Directors Matthew Allard, Bob Kent, Steven Levy, and Keith Sipes, and report to Co-Heads of Investment Banking Patrick Keeley and Brad Raymond.

"I am pleased to welcome such talented bankers whose expertise complements the strength of our existing Financial Sponsors practice. Both L.J. and Tom bring deep client relationships and broad product expertise in all facets of investment banking, including leveraged buyouts, initial public offerings, and strategic advisory," commented Victor Nesi, Co-Head of the Institutional Group of Stifel Financial. "The Stifel platform is particularly well-positioned to meet the demands of the financial sponsor community in the middle-market space."

Mr. McKay previously worked at Quadrangle Group, where he was head of investor relations and fundraising globally. He has more than 15 years of experience in financial sponsors and M&A coverage, having worked in the investment banking groups of Bank of America, Credit Suisse, and Chase Securities. Mr. McKay received his BS in Accounting from Penn State University and his MBA from the University of Michigan.

Mr. Prior spent 20 years as an investment banker with Deutsche Bank Securities, where he was a Managing Director in the Financial Sponsors Group and arranged several of the largest leveraged buyouts for leading private equity firms. He began his career at Bankers Trust Company, the predecessor to Deutsche Bank Securities, in the Investment Bank Group. Mr. Prior received his BS in Accounting from Villanova University Cum Laude and his MBA with Honors from Columbia University's Business School.

Company Information
Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifel clients are primarily served in the U.S. through 312 offices in 44 states and the District of Columbia through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated and Thomas Weisel Partners LLC, and in Canada through Stifel Nicolaus Canada Inc. Clients in the United Kingdom and Europe are served through offices of Stifel Nicolaus Limited and Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (formerly Thomas Weisel Partners International Limited). Each of the broker-dealer affiliates provides securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank & Trust offers a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated is an affiliated broker-dealer subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. which is referred to herein under the marketing name Stifel Nicolaus Weisel, representing the firm's investment banking services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the company's web site at www.stifel.com.