Sharon L. Simmons

Founded in 1939, Pershing LLC is a broker/dealer headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. The firm is a subsidiary of the Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (NYSE: BK). The firm helps financial services firms and advisors succeed by providing the technology, operational, trading, investment and practice management solutions they need to serve investors. Pershing offers securities processing, trading and operations management, investment technology, asset-gathering solutions and practice management support. The firm serves a wide range of financial organizations including: banks, discount brokerages, full-service brokerages, registered investment advisors, independent contractors, institutional firms, global firms and small- to mid-sized firms. Pershing also offers financial products including annuities, mutual funds and money funds, as well as business tools, cash management services, investor and lending services, retirement products and wealth management. In addition, they offer trading and execution services in listed and OTC securities, fixed-income securities and mutual funds.

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.

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (Credit Suisse Securities USA) is the broker/dealer division of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, an investment banking company headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Credit Suisse (USA), Inc., ultimately owned by Credit Suisse Group AG (SWX: CSGN) in Switzerland. Credit Suisse Securities USA offers a suite of equities, solutions and credit products and services which includes global securities sales, trading and execution, prime brokerage and comprehensive investment research. Their clients include financial institutions, corporations, governments, institutional investors, such as pension funds and hedge funds, and private individuals around the world.