Chicago-based futures brokerage and clearing firm, R. J. O’Brien & Associates (RJO) has gone from manual reconciliation to a hosted system that has allowed staff members to leapfrog into automation, even shrinking one process from a tedious 48-hour effort to minutes, says Jamal Oulhadj, senior managing director and chief risk officer of RJO. Since last… Read More >>
Firms Ready but Wary as Volcker Rule Becomes Reality
When the Volcker Rule provision of Dodd Frank finally goes into effect on Tuesday, July 21, the banks affected will have already done most of the heavy lifting, industry observers say. But banks will still face an arduous few months as they struggle to pin down the practice of a law they’ve spent so long… Read More >>
Convergex Fills CFO Post
Convergex, an agency-focused brokerage and trading-related services provider, reports that Frederick Arnold has joined the firm as chief financial officer (CFO). Arnold will oversee all global financial operations and serve on the executive committee, responsible for providing organizational guidance and governance, Convergex officials say. Currently a director of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Corporate Capital… Read More >>
361 Capital Hires Marketing Exec
Mutual fund provider 361 Capital, which specializes in liquid alternatives, has hired Daniel C. Cascarano as its new vice president of national accounts and institutional sales, officials say. In his new role, Cascarano will “lead 361 Capital’s efforts in cultivating key account relationships across institutional and intermediary channels,” according to a company statement. “With volatility… Read More >>
AIM Software Bolsters Sales Efforts in Europe, North America
AIM Software, an enterprise data management (EDM) solutions vendor, has appointed Ben Hopcroft to the post of director of sales for the U.K., The Netherlands and the Nordic Markets. The appointment follows shortly after the announcement that Marco Sablone, the former director of sales and marketing at Joss Technology, has joined the sales organization for… Read More >>
Hedgie CFOs Worry Over EU’s Push to Split Research, Commissions
As European authorities consider a “hard unbundling” of research payments from commissions, a majority of chief financial officers (CFOs) at hedge funds recently polled by execution broker and research provider ITG say they would prefer to segregate the accounts of their European clients and use commission sharing agreements (CSAs) for their non-European clients. ITG surveyed… Read More >>
‘Joss offerings will be integrated with AIM’s suite’
AIM Software, based in Vienna, Austria, is completing its acquisition of New York-based entity data management vendor Joss Technology, according to Olivier Kenji Mathurin, head of product marketing and research for the data management vendor. Joss Technology is the maker of the Entity Data Management System (EDMS), the “entity master” that uses a fuzzy logic… Read More >>
ISDA Endorses Semiannual Single-Name Credit Default Swaps
Derivatives industry group the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) is officially urging that the single-name (single company) credit default swap (CDS) roll protocol frequency be changed from a quarterly to a semiannual basis, officials say. In a prepared statement, ISDA officials say the change is in response to market feedback and is aimed at… Read More >>
Fenergo Lands $75 Million in Private Equity Funding
After showing consecutive, year-over-year growth of 100% for the past three years, know your customer (KYC) management software vendor Fenergo has secured a $75 million investment from Insight Venture Partners, a New York-based private equity and venture capital firm. The transaction is expected to close within the next few weeks, Fenergo officials say. Insight Venture… Read More >>
Advisors, Institutional Investors Diverge on Alternatives
A new survey by Barron’s and market research firm Morningstar has revealed some slippage between how financial advisors and large institutions view alternative investments, officials say. “Financial advisors are increasingly enthusiastic about alternatives just as institutions are becoming more cautious,” says Josh Charlson, chartered financial analyst (CFA), director of manager research for alternative strategies at… Read More >>
