Mizuho Securities USA Expands Fixed-Income With Senior Sales and Trading Appointments

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Aug 4, 2011) - Mizuho Securities USA ("MSUSA"), the U.S. broker-dealer subsidiary of the global Mizuho Financial Group (NYSE: MFG), today announced a significant expansion of its sales and trading capabilities with a number of senior appointments across its fixed-income business, including high-yield, interest rate derivatives, mortgages, and corporate credit, among others.

MSUSA is growing these product areas to strengthen its position in its US dollar business and further develop the comprehensive array of funding, investment and hedging opportunities it offers clients.

Recent fixed-income trading hires include Ian Burdette, US Agency Trading; Chul Park, Interest Rate Derivative Trading; Robert Hannigan, High Yield Trading; Traci Creange and Alex Feuer, Corporate Bond Trading; Renee Emmet, Interest Rate Derivative Trader; Roger Yao, RMBS Trading; Doug Sumick; US Treasury Trading; Franklin Amoo, Strategic Credit Trading; and Tyler Patla, Agency MBS Trading.

Fixed-income sales has been enhanced with the appointments of Robert Rotanz and Peter Brunell, both MBS Sales; Ryuta Ray Kawahara, Global Fixed-Income Sales; Coleen Mager and Jonathan Krause in High Yield Sales; and Kevin Cullity as Senior Derivatives Marketer.

John Koudounis, MSUSA President and CEO, stated, "Clients rely on Mizuho to provide the best coverage, pricing and execution to help them successfully navigate the markets and achieve their financial objectives. As part of the ongoing investment in our capital markets capabilities, the additions of such talented and highly experienced sales and trading professionals, together with high-quality products and Mizuho's global reach, means that we are now even better positioned to help clients compete and find opportunities in any market conditions in the world."

About Mizuho Securities USA
Mizuho Securities USA Inc. is a U.S. registered broker-dealer headquartered in New York City, with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hoboken (NJ), Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and London (UK). MSUSA provides a wide range of fixed income and equity securities products and investment banking services to institutional clients. MSUSA is one of only 20 firms designated as a Primary Dealer in U.S. Government and Agency securities. MSUSA also is a U.S. registered futures commission merchant ("FCM") and a member of most international futures exchanges. MSUSA's parent company, Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd., is a top-tier, full-service, Japanese securities firm and a core member of the Mizuho Financial Group. http://www.mizuhosecurities.com.

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: MFG), based in Japan, is one of the largest financial institutions in the world, offering a broad range of financial services including banking, securities, trust and asset management, credit card, private banking services, and venture capital through its group companies. The group has approximately 49,000 staff working in more than 770 offices inside and outside Japan, and total assets of over $1.9 trillion as of March 31, 2011. Its core global corporate banking entity, Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd., has offices throughout the U.S., the Americas, and the world, providing financial and strategic solutions to major corporations, financial institutions and public sector entities. For more information, please visit http://www.mizuho-fg.co.jp/english/