Aequitas Capital Management Announces the Acquisition of Maple Bay Asset Management

PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwired - May 2, 2014) - Aequitas Capital Management today announced that it has acquired Portland-based Maple Bay Asset Management to develop a larger, more diverse set of investment opportunities for its qualified investors and investment intermediaries.

Maple Bay Asset Management's employee-owners, Jason MacRae and Peter Hand, now comprise the Non-Recourse Credit Group at Aequitas as Senior Managing Director and Managing Director, respectively. Both executives possess deep expertise in sourcing, structuring and managing investment strategies designed to capture attractive private credit investment opportunities, with an emphasis on the rapidly growing peer-to-peer lending industry.

"We believe we are in the midst of a historic shift in the way people invest and borrow," stated Aequitas CEO Bob Jesenik. "Jason's and Peter's experience in the peer-to-peer space is ideally suited to capturing the opportunities created by this change, opportunities that align perfectly with other Aequitas Capital private credit and private equity investment strategies."

"Aequitas has a well-earned reputation for structuring innovative credit solutions where finance and technology intersect," added Maple Bay CEO Jason MacRae. "We are delighted to be joining the impressive team of professionals at Aequitas, and excited about the potential for the firm and its investors."

Prior to co-founding Maple Bay, Mr. MacRae was the co-founder and COO of Loan Value Group, a leading consumer marketing and incentives firm. Previous professional engagements include: Morgan Stanley, where he served as the Executive Director, Global Co-Head of Credit Solutions, gaining significant experience in credit risk management and borrower behavioral analytics; Advanta Corp., where he served as a manager in Targeting Group, responsible for statistical analysis of credit bureau and other data for the sixth largest US credit card lender with a $25 billion portfolio; and Oliver Wyman, as a Management Consultant focusing on consumer credit risk. Jason graduated from Harvard University with an AB in Physics.

Also joining Aequitas is Peter Hand, whose career in the asset management industry has focused on new product development, quantitative modeling and global macro-economic forecasting. From 1997 to 2008, he worked at Barclays Global Investors working in a variety of portfolio management and client-facing roles, including being a founding member of the Global Market Strategies Group and the Head of Research and Product Development for the Defined Contribution business. Following his tenure at Barclays, Peter spent two years as a Portfolio Manager for the Tribeca Total Global Return Fund and served as a consultant to select wealth management businesses. He graduated from Princeton University with a BA in Economics and Politics.

Working alongside Jason and Peter in their roles as consultants, former Maple Bay principals Joe Newman and Jerome Anglade bring decades of experience managing fixed income assets for major institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Mr. Newman's previous experience includes leadership roles at Regions Bank, where he led Consumer Credit in the Risk Management Group, and at U.S. Bancorp. He has also served with the Consumer Bankers Association and TransUnion Advisory Board. Mr. Anglade spent more than 11 years at Morgan Stanley in London where he was a Managing Director and Head of the European Structured Credit Group. He has also served as Global Head of Structured Illiquid Credit Trading at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in London and as a Senior Portfolio Manager with Citi. He is based in London.

About Aequitas
Founded in 1993, Aequitas Capital is an alternative investment management company dedicated to innovation, discipline and excellence. With proven expertise in finance, management and technology -- Aequitas sources, structures and implements Private Credit and Private Equity solutions, benefiting the individuals and institutions that trust us as a valuable investment partner.