MICHAEL DION joined Sandler O’Neill & Partners, LP, in May 2001. Mr.
Dion is an Associate Director, senior equity analyst, covering the
insurance industry, specializing in property and casualty companies. Mr.
Dion comes to Sandler O’Neill from ABN Amro, where he was a member of
the firm’s Global Financial Institutions Group. Prior to this, he worked
at Hoefer & Arnett as a senior equity analyst, covering several
companies in the insurance universe. Previously, he was employed as an
analyst at both the Industrial Bank of Japan and the Bank of California.
He began his career as a financial analyst with Wells Fargo Bank. He
holds a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from
the University of Southern California, and an MBA from the University of
Notre Dame with an emphasis in investments and international finance. He
is a member of the New York Society of Securities Analysts, the CFA
Institute, and the Association of Insurance and Financial Analysts. Mr.
Dion is a Chartered Financial Analyst. In May 2004, he was recognized in
the Wall Street Journal as one of the ‘Best on the Street’ analysts for
stock picking ability in the insurance property and casualty industry.
He has appeared as a commentator on CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and Market
Watch; as well as quoted in several news and financial publications
including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Barron’s, The
Washington Post and Los Angeles Times.
Michael Diana is a Senior Research Analyst with Noble Financial Capital
Markets. He brings to Noble Financial more than 25 years’ experience as a
senior research analyst and M&A investment banker with firms such as Citigroup,
Bear Stearns, Prudential and First Boston. He offers broad coverage with
emphasis on banks, thrifts and mortgage companies. His experience includes
periods of real estate depression (late 1980s, early 1990s) and the subprime
mortgage blowup (1998/1999). He has been consistently ranked among the top
analysts in his space and is widely recognized for his stock-picking strategies
and successes.
MICHAEL D. BODINO has served as a Senior Vice President and Senior E&P
Equity Research Analyst for Sterne, Agee & Leach, Inc., in New Orleans,
LA. Prior to this position, Mr. Bodino was Director of Energy Corporate
Finance for New Orleans-based Hibernia Southcoast Capital from 1999 to
2003. From 1993 through 1999 Mr. Bodino had served as an E&P Research
Analyst for San Jacinto Securities, Inc., in Dallas, TX. Mr. Bodino
began his career as an Associate Research Analyst covering E&P companies
at Dallas-based Rauscher Pierce Refsnes in 1992. Mr. Bodino holds an MBA
with a concentration in Finance from Texas Christian University and a
Bachelor of Science in Economics from Louisiana State University at
Shreveport. Mr. Bodino is a member of the National Association of
Petroleum Investment Analysts (NAPIA) and a Member of the Independent
Producers Association of America (IPAA). Mr. Bodino is a director of
two micro-cap E&P companies: Heartland Oil & Gas Corporation (HOGC.OB)
and Eden Energy Corporation (EDNE.OB).
MICHAEL CHA is a Vice President and Senior Analyst in the Oil and Gas-
Exploration and Production sector at J.P. Morgan where he covers small
and large cap companies. He received his B.A. degree from the
University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from the Wharton School. Mr. Cha
is a member of the National Association of Petroleum Investment Analysts
and the NYSSA. He includes golf among his personal interests.
MICHAEL C. YOUNG is a Managing Director at Gerard Klauer Mattison and is
a senior member of the GKM Energy Group working in the firm’s Boston
office and is responsible for the analysis of the oil and gas industry.
Prior to joining the firm in 2001, Mr. Young was a Managing Director and
Senior Energy Analyst at Deutsche Bank for five years. Between 1987 and
1996, he was a Managing Director and the Senior Energy Analyst at Smith
Barney, Inc. Mr. Young began his career on Wall Street in 1985 in New
York, where he worked in the energy research group at Salomon Brothers,
Inc. In 2000, he was ranked seventh among oil analysts in a Reuters
survey of the top 100 fund managers in the US. Mr. Young also ranked
fifth in a Wall Street Journal calculation of stock-picking performance
for his sector. A CFA, he is also a member of the National Association
of Petroleum Investment Analysts and the Petroleum Analyst Group of
Boston. Mr. Young is a graduate of Dartmouth College, where he received
a BA in Economics and Governement.
MICHAEL C. HARRIS is a Securities Analyst at Conseco Capital Management.
He completed Level III of the CFA exam and is waiting for Charter. Mr.
Harris was previously associated with TCI Cable Television. He received
an MBA from Indiana University.
MICHAEL BLUMSTEIN is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.
Previously, he was associated with First Boston. A Chartered Financial
Analyst, Mr. Blumstein received his Bachelor’s degree from Brown
University and his MBA from Harvard University. Mr. Blumstein is
married, has three children, and includes running among his personal
interests.
MICHAEL A. SMITH is a Managing Director at Bear, Stearns & Company.
Previously, he was associated with Lehman Brothers and Salomon Brothers
and spent eleven years in the insurance industry. Mr. Smith received his
Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and his MBA from Fairleigh
Dickinson. He is a member of the Association of Insurance and Financial
Analysts. Mr. Smith has two children who are both university students.
He includes skiing, serving as his daughter’s horse show ‘mudder’, and
motorsports among his personal interests.
MICHAEL A. HAPPEL is a Principal of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co.
Previously, he was Director of Acquisitions for the Morgan Stanley Real
Estate Funds and was involved in real estate investment banking
activities at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Happel is a graduate of Harvard Law
School and Duke University.
MERRILL ROSS is co-head of the real estate research team at Friedman,
Billings, Ramsey Group, Inc. She focuses on office/industrial,
apartments, mortgage and related real estate stocks. She was previously
a financial services analyst with Wheat First Butcher Singer, Credit
Suisse First Boston and Salomon Brothers. Prior to that, she was
affiliated with Ranieri Wilson & Co. and IBCA, an international bank
credit rating agency. She received a BA in Chemistry from Barnard
College and an MBA from Pace University.
