Citi Strengthens Financial Institutions Investment Banking Team With Senior Hires
Citigroup has appointed two senior bankers to its Financial Institutions Investment Banking division as the bank seeks to expand its global insurance and specialty finance advisory business.
Jonathan Alpert will join Citi in September as Global Head of Insurance, bringing more than 28 years of experience in the insurance industry and investment banking. He joins from Bank of America, where he most recently served as Co-Head of Global Insurance, according to an internal memo.
As such, Citi’s new Global Head of Insurance will be active across this region as Citi looks to support further growth with the region’s leading insurers.
Based in New York, Alpert will work alongside Brian Malbacho, Citi’s North America Head of Insurance, to further develop the bank’s insurance franchise globally. Citi said Alpert has advised on several major cross-border insurance transactions and maintains longstanding relationships with leading global insurance groups.
In a separate appointment, Ryan Willingham will join Citi in August as Managing Director covering Specialty Finance. Also joining from Bank of America, Willingham most recently led coverage of the specialty finance sector within the bank’s Financial Institutions group.
Willingham brings nearly two decades of experience advising mortgage originators and servicers, mortgage REITs, government-sponsored enterprises and other specialty finance firms.
The appointments come amid heightened deal activity in the insurance sector, particularly across Asia-Pacific, where insurers are pursuing capital-raising and merger-and-acquisition opportunities. Citi said its new Global Head of Insurance will play an active role in supporting the bank’s expansion with leading insurers across the region.
