Mizuho Securities USA Expands Fixed-Income and Futures With Senior Sales and Trading Appointments

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - September 20, 2010) -  Mizuho Securities USA ("MSUSA") (NYSE: MFG), the U.S. broker-dealer subsidiary of the global Mizuho Financial Group, today announced several senior hires in its fixed-income and futures businesses, continuing the expansion of its sales and trading capabilities in the US.

Recent Fixed-Income appointments include Michael Ziegelbaum as Executive Director and Head of Fixed-Income Electronic Sales and Trading; Michael Riesman as Managing Director, Fixed-Income Sales; Randy Li, Managing Director, Credit Trading; and Steven Schragel, Executive Director, Credit Sales. Mr. Ziegelbaum will report to Patrick Fay, Head of Fixed-Income; Mr. Riesman to Doug Munson, Head of Fixed-Income Sales; Mr. Li to Jerry Rizzieri, Head of Fixed-Income Trading; and Mr. Schragel to John McShea, Head of Chicago Fixed-Income Sales. In Futures, Chris Morran and Terry Duffy have joined the firm as Executive Directors in Futures Sales, while Chuck Retzky has joined as a Director in Futures Fixed-Income Sales. All three report to John Murphy, Executive Managing Director and Global Head of Futures. 

In addition to the appointments listed above, MSUSA has also enhanced its sales and trading capabilities by recently going live in US Treasury trading on Tradeweb. Joining Tradeweb will allow clients to benefit from access to increased sources of fixed-income liquidity, while also providing a significant new outlet for MSUSA's position as a primary dealer and market marker in US Treasury securities. 

John Koudounis, MSUSA President and CEO, stated, "The ongoing investment in our sales, trading and overall capital markets capabilities is driven by our commitment to providing clients with unrivaled pricing, coverage and execution in all markets. We believe that the strength of our global presence, broad product platform and the continued addition of high-caliber talent to an already excellent team means that we are ideally positioned to help clients reach their financial objectives in any market conditions."

About Mizuho Securities USA
Mizuho Securities USA Inc. is a U.S. registered broker-dealer headquartered in New York City, with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hoboken (NJ), Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and London (UK). MSUSA provides a wide range of fixed income and equity securities products and investment banking services to institutional clients. MSUSA is one of only 18 firms designated as a Primary Dealer in U.S. Government and Agency securities. MSUSA also is a U.S. registered futures commission merchant ("FCM") and a member of most international futures exchanges. MSUSA's parent company, Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd., is a top-tier, full-service, Japanese securities firm and a core member of the Mizuho Financial Group. http://www.mizuhosecurities.com.

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: MFG), based in Japan, is one of the largest financial institutions in the world, offering a broad range of financial services including banking, securities, trust and asset management, credit card, private banking services, and venture capital through its group companies. The group has approximately 49,000 staff working in more than 770 offices inside and outside Japan, and total assets of over $1.7 trillion as of March 31, 2010. Its core global corporate banking entity, Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd., has offices throughout the U.S. and the Americas, providing financial and strategic solutions to major corporations, financial institutions and public sector entities. For more information, please visit http://www.mizuho-fg.co.jp/english/

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Contact:
Patrick Phalon
(212) 282-3867