According to NIR Group, an alternative investment firm that manages a variety of strategies including direct equity investments, David Ratzker has joined the firm as portfolio manager to head the firm's structured equity investments. Ratzker, will be responsible for overseeing a portfolio of equity investments in publicly traded companies. This type of financing was designed to provide issuers faster access to capital, less dilution and greater control and flexibility of the issuance of capital. He reports to Corey Ribotsky, managing member and head portfolio manager. "With Bank of America recently raising over 13 billion though a similar structure, it is clear that this is the best environment for this strategy that I have seen in 15 years," said Mr. Ribotsky. "David is uniquely qualified and we are confident he will identify attractive investment opportunities." "I'm excited to join a pioneer in the direct investment space and I look forward to contributing to the firm's continued success," said Mr. Ratzker. Other public companies that have recently raised equity through these structures include PNC Suntrust, Zions Bancorp, DryShips and AMR Corp. Mr. Ratzker was most recently at Yorkville Advisors where he structured more than $300 million worth of private equity transactions for publicly traded corporations in a variety of sectors including energy, clean-technology and telecommunications. Mr. Ratzker is a member of the Finance Committee at the American Council on Renewable Energy and received his Bachelor of Science from Yeshiva University. About NIR Group NIR Group is a Roslyn, NY-based alternative investment firm that manages a variety of strategies including direct equity investments, commodities, structured finance, and real estate.