Michael A. J. Farrell

Founded in 1994, Fixed Income Discount Advisory Co. (FIDAC) is a registered investment advisor located in New York City. The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE: NLY), a publicly-traded REIT. FIDAC specializes in managing residential and commercial loans and securities, CDO liquidations and other financial services. The firm provides services to the public and private markets and is also a leading CDO liquidation agent. FIDAC manages a variety of investment vehicles and separate accounts that are marketed globally through distributor relationships. They also serve as the external manager for Chimera Investment Corp. (NYSE:CIM) and CreXus Investment Corp. (CreXus) (NYSE:CXS). In addition, FIDAC provides financial services to a wide range of clients including government entities.

Citadel Funding Corp. operated as a financial institution. The company was headquartered in Boston, MA.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is a registered broker-dealer subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Domestic Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) in the US. Headquartered in New York City, the firm was founded in 1987 and provides debt and equity services including underwriting, M&A advice, securities dealing and brokerage and trade execution. Their client base ranges from large global institutional investors to hedge funds at the cutting edge of innovation in the industry.

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. provided wealth management, securities trading and sales, corporate finance and investment banking services. Merrill Lynch was a global trader and underwriter of securities and derivatives across a range of asset classes and serve as a strategic advisor to governments, institutions and individuals worldwide. The company was founded in 1913 and was headquartered in Charlotte, NC.

National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, Inc. is an American company that provides an array of industry data prepared by NAREIT staff and other outside sources. The non-profit company is based in Washington. The company specializes in REITs, or real estate investment trusts, which are companies that own or finance income-producing real estate across a range of property sectors. Most REITs trade on major stock exchanges, and they offer a number of benefits to investors. Steven A. Wechsler has been the CEO of the company since 1997.