First Empire Securities Continues Expansion of Services

NEW YORK , Nov. 02, 2017 -- First Empire Securities, a national fixed income broker-dealer for institutional investors, announced two new leadership positions with the addition of Thomas O’Neill as Vice Chairman and Edward LaScala as Managing Director – Regional Sales Manager. Their arrivals mark the latest moves to broaden the company’s services for upper tier financial institutions.

“We are putting people in place who will strengthen our ability to deliver new services and expand our institutional reach," said Joseph Oricoli, Managing Director at First Empire Securities. “Tom and Ed are well respected in the industry, and their know-how and relationships will be integral in introducing our brand of service to a new range of institutional investors.”

O’Neill, an industry veteran who was a founding principal of the investment banking and brokerage firm Sandler O’Neill + Partners, will develop the firm’s Debt Capital Markets and Specialty Finance groups.  He will be based in the firm’s Long Island headquarters.

LaScala, who most recently led the institutional sales group at Incapital and previously held positions at Citigroup, Credit Suisse First Boston and DLJ, will spearhead growth of the firm’s institutional trading and sales capabilities for Tier 1 and 2 institutions. Several institutional professionals have already joined the firm.

“First Empire’s maturing platform offers us a tremendous opportunity to be part of a company on the upswing,” said O’Neill. “Their reputation for delivering value added services is well known among community banks and credit unions and we are excited to take that dynamic to larger institutions.”

First Empire Securities launched a growth campaign in late 2015, opening offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis and Jersey City and expanding its asset-backed securities, mortgage TBAs, negotiable CD funding and municipal trading capabilities. Its sister company LPC Services has become a leader in participation and whole loan sales, helping close more than $3 billion in loan deals since the start of 2015.

First Empire Securities
First Empire Securities is an institutional fixed income broker-dealer providing a broad range of products and services. The company’s seasoned traders and financial strategists, state-of-the-art analytical tools and former regulatory examiners all contribute to a full-service approach developed to help institutions improve the performance of their investment portfolios and better manage their balance sheets. First Empire Securities is a member of FINRA/SIPC.

First Empire Holding Corp.
First Empire Holding Corp. (First Empire) is the employee-owned parent company of First Empire Securities, LPC Services, Balance Sheet Management Services, First Empire CD Management and First Empire Asset Management. Today, our companies work with more than 2,000 institutions across the United States providing a range of services related to fixed income investing, participation/whole loan sales, asset liability management, regulatory consulting and funding strategies. More information can be found at www.firstempire.com.

Contact: 
Bonnie Moser, Marketing Director
800-645-5424
[email protected]