James Finkel

Member

Jim is a well-known and respected capital markets veteran, inter alia as founder of a structured credit investment manager, senior capital markets banker, and consultant. He possesses a unique set of skills that combines technical expertise with creative structuring and dealmaking, team leadership, and business building, enhanced by his extensive global network of business relationships.

More recently, Jim spent 12 years as Managing Director of Kroll (rebranded from Duff & Phelps), where he continues to serve as Senior Advisor, building and managing a highly successful consulting practice relating to complex securities and market-related disputes. Among his 85+ engagements during this time, he was the lead damages expert for the US FHFA (successor entity to Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac) in respect of USD 23 billion of recoveries for the US government relating to subprime RMBS losses. Many of Jim’s engagements have involved domestic and international banking activities, and he has led several claim recovery, liquidation and advisory transactions as a banker, in which capacity he has also advised investment managers on M&A, risk-based capital-optimised structuring, and fundraising.

Earlier, Jim was CEO of a USD 5 billion (peak AUM) structured credit investment manager, Dynamic Credit Partners (USA), which he founded in 2003. From 1992 to 2003, he was a successful senior capital markets banker at Nomura (New York), Bear Stearns (New York and London) and Deutsche Bank (London). Jim was a pioneer in the development of new investment products, co-led two NYSE-listed REIT IPOs, and executed groundbreaking offerings such as the largest ever Brazilian bond repackaging, the first Euro-denominated CDO, as well as numerous complex capital-protected and long/short investment products.

From 1986 to 1992, Jim was a tax lawyer with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in New York in the mortgage-backed, pooled investment vehicle, cross-border aircraft finance, and derivatives sectors. He also worked pro bono on criminal matters and white-collar defence, and was assigned to work with a leading law firm in Geneva, Switzerland for 4 months in 1991.

Jim is a member of the Bar of the State of New York, the American Academy of Financial Experts, and the US Risk Management Association, and holds a BA (World Political Economy) from Colorado College, a MSc from London School of Economics (with Distinction in International Politics & International Law), a JD cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law, a LLM (Taxation) from New York University School of Law, and a Certificate in Mediation from Harvard Law School.