Christopher Recouso

Partnercap Securities LLC is an independent registered broker-dealer headquartered in Bluffton, South Carolina. Founded in 1996, the firm offers brokerage services to various clients.

Founded in 1969, HSBC Securities (U.S.A.) Inc. is an SEC-registered brokerage firm and registered futures commission merchant located in New York City. The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC North America Holdings, Inc. and their ultimate parent is HSBC Holdings Plc. (NYSE: HBC). HSBC Securities (U.S.A.) is a member of FINRA, the NYSE and the SIPC. Their securities and annuity products are provided by registered representatives and insurance agents of HSBC Securities (U.S.A.). In California, HSBC Securities (U.S.A.) conducts insurance business as HSBC Securities Insurance Services. Insurance products are offered through insurance agents of HSBC Insurance Agency (U.S.A.) Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC Bank U.S.A. NA and an indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc. The company also engages in investment banking underwriting, dealing and brokering of debt and equity securities and futures contracts and is a primary dealer in U.S. Government and federal agency securities.

Brasil Plural Securities LLC is a SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. They are owned by Brasil Plural Holdings LLC, ultimately owned by Holding Plural SA in Brazil. Founded in 2011, the firm provides investment research services to institutional investors and retail clients.

Knight Capital Group, Inc. is a global financial services firm, which provides access to the capital markets across multiple asset classes to a broad network of clients, including buy and sell side firms, dealers, brokers, institutions, and corporations. It operates business through four segments: Market Making, Institutional Sales and Trading, Electronic Execution Services and Corporate and Other. The Market Making segment consists of market making in global equities and listed domestic options. It includes client, and to a lesser extent, non-client electronic market making activities in which they operate as a market maker in equity securities. The Institutional Sales and Trading segment includes global equity, exchange traded funds and fixed income sales and trading; reverse mortgage origination and securitization; capital markets; and asset management activities. Its business consists of execution and facilitation equities and fixed income transactions as agent on behalf of institutional clients, and they commit capital on behalf of its clients when needed. The Electronic Execution Services segment offers access via its electronic agency-based platforms to markets and self-directed trading in equities, equity options, fixed income, foreign exchange and futures contracts. The Corporate and Other segment invests in strategic financial services-oriented opportunities, allocates, deploys and monitors all capital, and maintains corporate overhead expenses and all other income and expenses that are not attributable to the other segments. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Jersey City, NJ.

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.