(Source: Business Wire)Houlihan Lokey, an international investment bank, announced today that Dr. Kai-Ching Lin, Ph.D. has joined the firm's New York office as a Managing Director, specializing in the valuation of complex securities including structured products and derivatives. Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Lin was a managing director in the Financial Engineering practice of Duff & Phelps, LLC. Earlier, he was the global head of quantitative methodology in the valuation risk group at Credit Suisse, where he was responsible for developing valuation risk methodology for the trading of derivatives tied to products such as: equities, interest rates, credit, mortgages, commodities and life insurance.

Commenting on the hire, Michael A. Fazio, Managing Director and Global Head of Portfolio Valuation & Advisory Services, said, "We are excited that Dr. Lin has chosen to join Houlihan Lokey's platform, and even more excited to be able to offer his expertise to our clients. Dr. Lin has more than 12 years of experience in financial consulting in addition to his academic tenure and deep experience valuing the complex securities currently held by many financial institutions. We look forward to having Dr. Lin as part of our team."

Dr. Lin added, "Houlihan Lokey has established itself as an authority in the valuation of complex securities and derivatives on behalf of hedge funds, other financial institutions and even government entities. As institutions continue to struggle with the valuation of these instruments, particularly in light of evolving standards for mark-to-market accounting, Houlihan Lokey is well-positioned to help clients face these challenges. I am delighted to join the firm."

Dr. Lin received his B.S. from National Taiwan University and a Ph.D. in mathematics from UCLA. He taught and conducted research at various academic institutions, including the University of Chicago, the University of Wisconsin, UCLA, the Mathematical Science Research Institute and the University of Alabama. He was also Associate Editor of Financial Analysts Journal (FAJ), a publication for Chartered Financial Analysts.

Houlihan Lokey's Portfolio Valuation & Advisory Services provide hedge funds, private equity firms, other investment managers and financial institutions with independent third-party valuation and advisory services for their illiquid assets. The firm values a broad range of securities and instruments including: illiquid debt and equity securities, mortgage-backed securities (MBS), collateralized debt obligations (CDO), collateralized loan obligations (CLO) and complex derivative instruments. The firm's expertise in the valuation of complex securities and instruments has been particularly relevant in its advisory roles to creditors of both Lehman Brothers Holdings and CIT Group. In June 2009, the firm was appointed to a new expert group formed by the International Valuation Standards Committee (IVSC) on the valuation of financial assets and liabilities.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey, an international investment bank, provides a wide range of advisory services in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, financing, financial restructuring, and valuation. The firm was ranked the No. 1 M&A advisor for U.S. transactions under $2 billion in 2008 and the No. 1 U.S. fairness opinion advisor over the past 10 years by Thomson Reuters. In addition, the firm advisedon more than 500 restructuring transactions valued in excess of $1.25 trillion over the past 10 years. Notable engagements cover numerous sectors and virtually all of the largest U.S. corporate bankruptcies, including Lehman Brothers, General Motors, WorldCom and Enron. The firm has more than 800 employees in 14 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Each year we serve more than 1,000 clients ranging from closely held companies to Global 500 corporations.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.