Career moves

Jefferies hired John Ockerbloom as a managing director and U.S. head of real estate investment banking.

Though the majority of the MBS/ABS group was formed in 2008 and 2009, Jefferies continues to expand in this area.

Knight Capital Group expanded its ABS/MBS capabilities in commercial real estate (CRE) finance with the hiring of Barry Funt and Winston van Buitenen as managing directors.

Nomura Securities said on Monday it hired James Merli as its managing director and head of debt origination and debt syndicate for the Americas.

An affiliate of Apollo Capital Management has chosen U.S. Bank as trustee, collateral administrator and custodian for its recent ALM Funding 2010-1 deal, according to a press release issued by U.S. Bank.

Private REIT The Carson Companies hired Fred McIntosh as senior vice president in capital markets. McIntosh will be leading the firm’s newly formed Carson Advisors.

U.S. Bank Corporate Trust Services hired Joseph Giordano as senior vice president and manager of its CDO business.

Distressed mortgage manager Deer Park Road Corp. has hired Scott Burg as associate portfolio manager, according to published reports.

Deerfield Capital hired a former Pimco high yield bond trader as part of an effort to launch new products and grow its trading capabilities, the Chicago-based asset manager announced Wednesday.

Rick Rieder, who has been head of corporate credit at BlackRock, has taken on responsibility for the multi-sector and mortgage group at the company in his promotion to chief investment officer.

JPMorgan Treasury Servicesis strengthening the organizational structure of its global trade practice. The aim is to better address the industry's increasing demand for trade finance and supply-chain management solutions.

Guy Carpenter & Co. has named Philippe Renault as president and CEO of the firm’s Paris operations effective Sept. 1.

PHH Corp. has named Smriti Laxman Popenoe as executive vice president and chief risk officer effective Sep. 13. Popenoe will be responsible for the design and implementation of an enterprise-wide risk framework and will work with the firm’s business units to identify, effectively manage and mitigate credit, market and operational risks.

Odeon Capital Group has opened its new office in Boca Raton, Florida. The new office will serve as a launching point for future sales, trading and research development across Florida and the southeastern U.S.

Pankaj Jha, an MBS analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities, left the firm after news surfaced that one of his reports contained “significant similarities” to research from Royal Bank of Scotland, according to a report by Bloomberg.

The Mortgage Bankers Association has appointed Kathy Marquardt as associate vice president of commercial servicing and council coordinator, effective Aug. 9.

As President Obama prepares to sign into law sweeping reforms of the U.S. financial system, regulators stressed Tuesday the importance of ensuring that foreign regulators follow suit.

BTIG will continue to expand its U.S. fixed income sales and trading platform with the addition of several hires to its structured products grouphigh yield, high grade, and convertibles.

CIBC has appointed Karl Wildi as managing director and head of European capital markets, according to a report by The Globe and Mail.

RBS Securities has expanded its MBS and ABS sales and trading teams within its global banking and markets division in the Americas, the firm announced today.