George Auerbach

Founded in 1991 by Ed Hyman and Nancy Lazar, International Strategy & Investment Group LLC is a broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Evercore Partners, Inc. (NYSE: EVR). They are also known as ISI Group. The firm specializes in research on the following areas: economics, policy, technical analysis, tech strategy, portfolio strategy, quantitative research, integrated oil, accounting and tax policy research, China, machinery, banks, REITs, company surveys and client projects.

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. (MLPFS) is the SEC-registered broker/dealer subsidiary of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., ultimately held by Charlotte-based Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC). The firm was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in New York City. In 2010, Banc of America Securities LLC merged with MLPFS and the firm uses the trade name Bank of America Merrill Lynch. MLPFS's global strategy and economics team serves institutional and individual investors using a wide range of macroeconomic disciplines. Their analysis of global issues provides clients with investment ideas, market forecasts, macro overviews and specific sector recommendations across asset classes, regions and disciplines. Their equity research team conducts fundamental analysis on companies globally and provides institutional and retail clients with industry-specific and in-depth research and analysis on numerous industries. The firm's global fixed-income and equity-linked research focuses on fixed-income and equity derivatives, fixed-income strategy, convertibles, commodities, high-yield, mortgages, municipals and global foreign exchange.

A unit of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), Prudential Equity Group LLC is a broker/dealer headquartered in New York City with additional offices in Chicago, Kansas City, Missouri, Menlo Park, California and San Francisco. The firm provides indpendent equity research, sales and trading to domestic and international institutional clients

A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. is a full-service brokerage firm. A.G. Edwards equity research team covers a wide range of industries including: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, material, telecommunication services and utilities. They also provide fixed-income research in the utility, auto, banking and finance, and telecom industries. A.G. Edwards was founded in 1887 by General Albert Gallatin Edwards and his son Benjamin Franklin Edwards. They are a broker/dealer subsidiary of A.G. Edwards, Inc. They are a member of the SIPC.

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (Credit Suisse Securities USA) is the broker/dealer division of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, an investment banking company headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Credit Suisse (USA), Inc., ultimately owned by Credit Suisse Group AG (SWX: CSGN) in Switzerland. Credit Suisse Securities USA offers a suite of equities, solutions and credit products and services which includes global securities sales, trading and execution, prime brokerage and comprehensive investment research. Their clients include financial institutions, corporations, governments, institutional investors, such as pension funds and hedge funds, and private individuals around the world.