McLean, VA – July 9, 2008 – Amherst Securities Group, L.P., a broker-dealer specializing in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), announced today that it has hired three industry veterans and plans to open an office in New York City as part of the company’s ongoing effort to expand its operations.  The new executives – Steve Wright, Joseph J. Vaccaro and Robert W. Hunter – will help Amherst build upon its 15- year track record of being a leading provider of RMBS analytical and trading services.

“I am thrilled to add these new executives to our team,” said Sean Dobson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Amherst Securities Group. “They have extensive knowledge and industry expertise, reinforcing our long-standing commitment to providing our clients the superior analytical research and actionable intelligence they need to manage their RMBS investments. We continue to see growing opportunities in this space despite the challenging market.”

Steve Wright has been appointed Managing Director of Sales and will be based in Amherst’s Greenwich, Connecticut office. Mr. Wright has extensive experience in sales, having most recently served since 2005 as Managing Director of Structured Products and New York Sales Manager at WaMu Capital Corp.  Previously, he was Vice President of Sales of Structured Products at Credit Suisse from 2000-2004. Prior to that, he held senior sales positions at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and UBS. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Middlebury College.

Joseph J. Vaccaro will serve as Vice President of Non-Agency Trading. Mr. Vaccaro comes to Amherst after several years as the head of the non-agency hybrid business at Merrill Lynch. Prior to that, he ran the agency hybrid adjustable rate mortgage business at Bear Stearns. Mr. Vaccaro graduated from Villanova University with a bachelor’s degree in Business.

Robert W. Hunter comes to Amherst as a Vice President and will be based in the firm’s McLean, Virginia headquarters. He previously served as Chief Credit Officer for Countrywide Bank until 2004, where he was responsible for developing and managing the bank’s credit policy. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager for SunTrust Bank MidAtlantic and Crestar Bank. Mr. Hunter earned his Certified Mortgage Banker designation from the Mortgage Bankers Association of America and his MBA degree from Clark University.

About Amherst Securities Group LP
Amherst Securities Group LP is a privately-held, specialized broker-dealer with more than 15 years experience analyzing and trading residential mortgage-backed securities. Our 75 experienced professionals, utilizing our proprietary analytics, develop and provide actionable intelligence that helps clients understand the complexities and inherent risks of the world’s largest debt market and identify trading opportunities that help minimize risk and meet their objectives throughout different economic cycles.  More information about Amherst can be found on the firm’s Web site at www.amherstsecurities.com.

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