Jefferies Boosts MBS/ABS Sales and Trading

Jefferies & Co., the principal operating subsidiary of Jefferies Group, hired  three senior professionals in the firm’s MBS/ABS sales and trading group. All will be based in Jefferies’ Chicago office and focused on serving the firm’s Midwest MBS/ABS clients.
 
In a joint statement, Johan Eveland and William H. Jennings II, co-heads of global MBS/ABS at Jefferies, said: “The knowledge, experience and relationships of these proven professionals will enhance our mortgage- and asset-backed capabilities, as well as continue the expansion we began just over a year ago.  With a team of five professionals now in Chicago, we are excited to have this increased Midwest distribution and focus.” 
 
Marc DeFife, who joins the firm as managing director of MBS/ABS, was most recently at Barclays Capital following that firm’s acquisition of Lehman Brothers, where he spent nine years and was most recently a senior vice president in MBS/ABS sales. 
 
Elizabeth Harper was also most recently at Barclays Capital following that firm’s acquisition of Lehman Brothers, where she was a vice president in MBS/ABS sales and spent three years. She joins Jefferies as senior vice president.
 
John Koutoupis joins Harper as senior vice president at Jefferies. He was formerly at Sandler O’Neill, where he was an associate director focused on MBS/ABS sales, and previously worked in a similar capacity at Lehman Brothers. 
 
The addition of these new professionals represents a further strengthening of Jefferies’ effort in MBS/ABS. 
 
In May, Jefferies announced the addition of Andrew Peisch as co-head of MBS/ABS banking and origination. The firm’s MBS/ABS group now includes more than 55 sales, trading and origination professionals in the U.S. and London.