Karen Johnson

Banc of America Specialist, Inc. is an SEC-registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of NB Holdings Corp. Their ultimate parent is Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC). Banc of America Specialist provides securities services on the New York Stock Exchange and assists with IPOs. The firm follows S&P 500 companies in several sectors including financial services, energy, consumer products, retail and telecommunications. Banc of America Specialist was originally founded in 1982 as Quick & Reilly Specialist, ultimately incorporating Conklin, Cahill & Co. and Colin Hockstin & Co. From 1990 until 1995, the firm acquired three prestigious specialist firms: Murphy, Marseilles Smith & Nammack, Stokes Hoyt & Co and Pforzheimer/Drexel Burnham Specialists. In 1995, Quick & Reilly Specialist was renamed JJC Specialist. In 1998, JJC Specialist was purchased by Fleet Boston Financial, which also acquired Merrill Lynch Specialist, and the firm was renamed Fleet Specialist. In 2000, FleetBoston Financial acquired MJ Meehan and merged the operations into Fleet Specialist. In 2004, Bank of America acquired FleetBoston Financial and Fleet Specialist became known as Banc of America Specialist, Inc.

Founded in 2001, Divine Capital Markets LLC is an independent, woman-owned full-service brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. The firm's clients include institutional fund managers, pension plan administrators, corporate treasurers, and accredited high net-worth individuals. Divine Capital Markets looks at relevant macroeconomic, industry and security fundamental and technical analysis and leveraged alternatives (convertible bonds, preferreds and covered calls) to provide long-term investment strategies. Their research philosophy is based on analyzing business cycles. The firm also focuses on emerging markets with a particular focus on Brazil, Russia, India and China. Divine Capital Markets is a member of the NASD and the SIPC.