Financial Services >> Sector Roundtables >> June 15, 2009

Roundtable Forum: Midwest Banks

Thomas S. Mitchell, Financial Stock Research Analyst at Miller Tabak + Co., LLC, started in the industry working as a Research Analyst with NYSE firm Mabon, Nugent & Co. in 1973, covering consumer and commercial finance companies, credit card companies, and large multi-industry companies encompassing major insurance and financial subsidiaries. He also managed a firm account investing in distressed situations, reorganizations and bankruptcies. In 1983, he joined the New York investment management firm of Weiss, Peck & Greer as one of five portfolio analysts, with primary coverage responsibility for the financial stock sector. As a general partner of WPG from 1984 to 1990, he also initiated programs for WPG to invest in foreign stocks and to use index futures and options for bona fide portfolio hedging. In 1990, he branched out to set up an independent money-management shop. He joined Miller Tabak in July 2006 with primary coverage responsibility for banks, REITs and other financial stocks. A respect for credit analysis and for observation of broad industry trends has informed his investing approach throughout the past 33 years. Profile
Eileen Rooney is a senior equity research analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc., a boutique investment bank specializing in financial services companies. Her coverage universe includes small and mid-cap banks and thrifts headquartered in the Midwest. Prior to joining KBW in 2003, she was an equity research analyst at Fox, Pitt-Kelton, working on the large cap bank team. She graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor's degree in Economics. Profile
TWST: The banks have recently reported results. How do the Midwest banks stack

up relative to what you had anticipated?

Ms. Rooney: Results were pretty mixed. In some cases, the companies met