HilltopSecurities Continues Public Finance Expansion with Recent Hires

Rhea-AI Summary

Hilltop Securities has announced the addition of several key hires to its public finance team. The new recruits include Gary Garay as Managing Director and Head of Municipal Housing Banking in Miami, Tania Askins as Managing Director in Dallas, Sabaa Modi as Senior Vice President in Austin, and Connor Benoit as Senior Vice President in Charlotte. Garay, who brings 20 years of experience in housing bonds, will focus on expanding the firm's role in housing finance. Askins, with two decades of infrastructure finance experience, Modi, and Benoit, each add nearly a decade of public finance banking experience. HilltopSecurities aims to continue its expansion, having added over a dozen experienced bankers in 2024 alone.

Positive

• HilltopSecurities has added over a dozen experienced public finance investment bankers in 2024, indicating strong growth and expansion.
• Gary Garay brings 20 years of experience in housing bonds, enhancing HilltopSecurities' expertise in housing finance.
• Tania Askins, with 20 years of infrastructure finance experience, joins as Managing Director, strengthening the firm's leadership.
• Sabaa Modi and Connor Benoit, each with nearly a decade of public finance experience, enhance HilltopSecurities' capabilities in Austin and Charlotte.

Negative

• The press release does not provide specific financial data or metrics to quantify the impact of the new hires on HilltopSecurities' performance.
• There is no mention of how the new hires will address current market challenges or contribute to immediate financial gains.
• The announcement lacks details on any potential costs or financial obligations associated with the new hires, which could affect profitability.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hilltop Securities Inc. (HilltopSecurities) recently welcomed Managing Director Gary Garay as Head of Municipal Housing Banking in Miami, Florida. The firm also has recently added public finance investment bankers Managing Director Tania Askins in Dallas, Texas, Senior Vice President Sabaa Modi in Austin, Texas, and Senior Vice President Connor Benoit in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The new hires are the latest example of HilltopSecurities’ continuing expansion, as the firm has added more than a dozen experienced public finance investment bankers since the beginning of 2024 alone.

“HilltopSecurities has been committed to the public finance industry since our firm’s founding more than 75 years ago, and we remain focused on selectively hiring the most talented investment bankers in the business,” said HilltopSecurities’ President and CEO Brad Winges.

As Head of Municipal Housing Banking, Garay will focus on growing the four-person team as they work in concert with HilltopSecurities’ TBA business to expand the firm’s role as a market leader in housing finance. He brings 20 years of experience in the issuance of housing bonds and joins HilltopSecurities from UBS Financial Services Inc. where he served as Head of the New England Finance Team and Head of the National Housing Group. During his career, Garay also has held positions with J.P. Morgan Securities, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Askins joins HilltopSecurities in Dallas, TX as Managing Director and brings 20 years of infrastructure finance experience to her new role. She joins the firm from Estrada Hinojosa & Company where she served as Senior Managing Director. She also has held positions with Citigroup, the United States Department of Transportation, and Ambac Assurance Corporation.

Modi joins HilltopSecurities’ Austin, TX office as Senior Vice President and brings nearly a decade of experience to her new role. She most recently served with Citigroup as a Vice President in the Transportation Group.

Benoit joins HilltopSecurities’ Charlotte, NC office as a Senior Vice President and brings almost 10 years of public finance investment banking experience to his position. He most recently worked at Citigroup Global Markets Inc. as Vice President and a senior member of the Infrastructure and Transportation Group, among other roles.

“We are proud to welcome Gary, Tania, Sabaa, and Connor to our team, as well as the other experienced professionals who have joined HilltopSecurities this year. We look forward to their contributions serving our clients in communities across the U.S.,” said Mike Bartolotta, HilltopSecurities’ Co-Head of Public Finance.

About Hilltop Securities Inc.
HilltopSecurities is a full-service municipal investment bank and wealth advisory firm providing a full suite of financial services for public entities, institutional investors, housing finance agencies, broker-dealers, and individual investors. Founded in 1946, its primary areas of focus include public finance, capital markets, structured finance, retail brokerage, clearing services, and securities lending. Hilltop Securities Inc.’s goal is to build long-term relationships to help communities, businesses, and individuals thrive. A wholly owned subsidiary of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HTH), HilltopSecurities’ affiliates include Momentum Independent Network, HilltopSecurities Insurance, PlainsCapital Bank, and PrimeLending. Learn more at HilltopSecurities.com. Member: NYSE/FINRA/SIPC.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as required by law, we do not assume any duty to update forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning such things as our plans, objectives, strategies, expectations, intentions and other statements that are not statements of historical fact, and may be identified by words such as “believe,” “continue,” “expects,” “expand,” “focus,” “may,” “plan,” “seeks,” “will” or “would” or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases. See the risk factors described in Hilltop Holdings Inc.’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240513642438/en/

Hilltop Holdings Inc.

Ben Brooks

214.252.4047

Ben.Brooks@Hilltop-Holdings.com

Source: Hilltop Securities Inc.

FAQ

Who has HilltopSecurities recently hired for their public finance team?

HilltopSecurities has recently hired Gary Garay as Managing Director and Head of Municipal Housing Banking, Tania Askins as Managing Director in Dallas, Sabaa Modi as Senior Vice President in Austin, and Connor Benoit as Senior Vice President in Charlotte.

What role will Gary Garay play at HilltopSecurities?

Gary Garay will serve as Managing Director and Head of Municipal Housing Banking, focusing on growing the housing finance team.

What is the experience of Tania Askins in public finance?

Tania Askins brings 20 years of infrastructure finance experience to her role as Managing Director at HilltopSecurities.

What experience does Sabaa Modi bring to HilltopSecurities?

Sabaa Modi has nearly a decade of experience in public finance investment banking and will serve as Senior Vice President in HilltopSecurities' Austin office.

How many public finance investment bankers has HilltopSecurities added in 2024?

HilltopSecurities has added more than a dozen experienced public finance investment bankers since the beginning of 2024.