Wachovia Securities is looking to hire an analyst to cover consumer asset-backed securities, according to Curtis Arledge, deputy head of fixed-income in Charlotte. The hire would report to Brian Lancaster, head of the bank's structured products research group. It would fill a hole created by Inna Koren, who left Wachovia and joined Barclays Capital as a senior ABS analyst this month. Furthermore, Wachovia plans to hire roughly 100 securitization professionals in the coming year, to focus on emerging sectors and less-liquid asset classes, according to Arledge. Although captive issuance has helped bulge bracket banks such as Citigroup climb to the top of the securitization league tables, a Wachovia official notes that it does not have credit card or auto lending operations, which has limited its growth in commoditized asset classes.
Wachovia Plans ABS Research Hire