Stifel hires seven public-finance specialists from Wachovia

Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. is boosting its public-finance group by more than 10 percent with the addition of seven former employees of Wachovia Securities.

Wachovia bought A.G. Edwards Inc. last fall and moved its securities division to St. Louis.

Peter Czajkowski, Stifel’s senior vice president for public finance, said the hires “will greatly increase Stifel’s presence in the school district market and conventional municipal finance.” They also will strengthen Stifel’s service to all issuers, he said.

The hires will bring Stifel’s public finance staff to more than 50.

The new hires include:

• Lorenzo Boyd, a senior vice president, who completed more than 200 public finance issues worth $8 billion in 11 years at Wachovia. He will focus on school districts in Missouri.
• Anne Noble, a senior vice president, who managed more than 400 bond issues worth $10 billion  for a variety of clients in several states.
• Sean McCarthy, a first vice president, who has worked in school, municipal and airport financing as well as healthcare and multi-family housing.
• James Burgett, a first vice president, who is a former school superintendent in Highland and other Illinois school districts. He will be working with Stifel part-time.
• Dennis Lea, first vice president, who worked on school bonds at Wachovia. He will work part-time for Stifel.
• Thomas Crabtree, vice president, who has worked on a variety of municipal finance transactions.
• Martin Ghafoori, associate, who supported the municipal finance group at Wachovia.

All except McCarthy will work in Stifel’s public-finance office in St. Louis. McCarthy will be based in Chicago.