Austin, TX – August 20, 2008 – Amherst Securities Group LP, a broker-dealer specializing in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), announced today that it has hired industry veteran Laurie Zeller as Senior Managing Director of Trading. Ms. Zeller joins Amherst after four years as a Managing Director for agency collateralized mortgage obligations (CMO) at Bear Stearns, where she was a product specialist on the agency pass-through and CMO bond- trading desks. Prior to that, Ms. Zeller worked at Fannie Mae for 12 years as Director of Portfolio Management. In her new role, Ms. Zeller will be co-head of Agency Mortgage Products and will be based out of Amherst’s New York office, which is scheduled to open in September 2008.  

“Laurie’s experience and extensive knowledge of the RMBS market will be a great asset to us as we continue to provide our clients with the execution and information they need to navigate the choppy waters of today’s mortgage-backed securities market. We’re thrilled to have her on board,” said Sean Dobson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Amherst Securities Group. “The addition of Laurie to our team is further affirmation of Amherst’s continued ability to grow and attract top talent, even in this challenging environment.”

“I have known and admired Amherst Securities Group for many years,” said Ms. Zeller. “Amherst’s understanding of the RMBS market and its track record of profitable growth are unparalleled in this business and I look forward to working with some of the brightest people in the industry.”

Ms. Zeller’s hiring follows the addition of three other industry veterans who joined Amherst earlier this summer as part of the company’s ongoing expansion.

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 minimizerisk and meet their objectives throughout different economic cycles. More information about Amherst can be found on the firm’s Web site at http://www.amherstsecurities.com.  

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