S&P Seeks Two CDO Analysts

Standard & Poor's is looking for two senior collateralized debt analysts for its recently created CDO manager focus group, according to group head, Mark Gaw, associate director in New York. Both positions are newly created. The positions are for the associate director level--a senior title at S&P--and both analysts would report directly to Gaw. Created earlier this year, the manager focus group is part of S&P's structured finance division, although it closely works with the investment services group of the rating agency, headed by Joel Friedman. The group provides more visibility in the CDO market by releasing reports on CDO collateral managers' performance relative to their peers, at least for those willing to get the exposure. Gaw says he routinely talks to managers who refuse to be profiled. The group, he adds, has already evaluated 16 collateral managers, including firms such as BlackRock Financial Management, Deerfield Capital Management, PIMCO and American Express Asset Management. He plans to profile 10 more asset managers within the next few months.