People: Loop Capital Adds John Zurlo to N.Y. Staff

CHICAGO - Chicago-based Loop Capital Markets Inc. this month hired John Zurlo as a senior trader for its New York City office, adding to its effort to boost its New York staff and a new Philadelphia office with talent from firms that recently moved away from the public finance business.

Zurlo previously worked at Banc One Capital Markets Inc. and ABN AMRO Inc. He will specialize in trading bonds on the long end of the yield curve from 2016 and out.

"We're very excited to get him. He's a great addition," Christopher Mier, who heads up trading and municipal sales at Loop from its Chicago office, said yesterday.

The firm also recently hired Ed Fitzpatrick and Rick White, institutional sales professionals, to work in the New York office. The two came from Prudential Securities Inc., according to Mier. The hires bring the number of New York-based employees to eight.

Loop also recently hired two institutional salesmen, Sam Sinatra and Bill Woods, to staff the new Philadelphia office, which opened last fall. Sinatra and Woods both previously worked at First Union Securities Inc. Loop is also still looking to hire an investment banker for the Philadelphia office.

"As we get opportunities to improve and increase our staff, we take advantage of them," Mier said. The firm has been on a growth spurt since it was opened in August 1997 by James Reynolds Jr., Sandy Reynolds, and Albert Grace Jr.

The firm started out with a handful of employees located in Chicago. The company also has offices in Detroit and Houston, and employs about 40 sales, trading, underwriting, and investment banking professionals, Mier said.