Merrill Lynch, the Wall Street institution with the iconic bull logo is now the wealth management, brokerage, and investment banking arm of Bank of America. The bank acquired the distressed investment bank in 2009 in a move that greatly expanded its wealth management and international operations. Merrill Lynch is among the world's top brokerages, with some $2.2 trillion in customer assets. Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. also provides corporate finance and investment banking services to institutional, commercial, and government clients. Merrill Lynch has offices in some 40 countries around the world.

In 1980, GTCR pioneered and investment thesis founded on the principle of growth through committed relationships with management partners. GTCR manages more than $8 billion in equity and mezzanine capital invested in a wide range of companies and industries. The firm principally invests in high-growth industries, including financial services and technology, healthcare, and information services and technology. Growth strategies are driven by industry dynamics and generally include a combination of acquisitions and internal growth.Capital under management is primarily provided by pension funds, endowments, and foundations. Portfolio company executives and the principals of GTCR have made significant investments in each of GTCR's funds. The firm's principals have invested in more than 100 companies, and are recognized for their ability to create value consistently throughout the investment life cycle.

National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, a private cooperative association, provides its members with a source of financing to supplement the loan programs of the Rural Utilities Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. The company offers loans to its rural utility system members to enable them to acquire, construct, and operate electric distribution, generation, transmission, and related facilities. It also provides credit enhancements in the form of letters of credit and guarantees of debt obligations. The company manages the lending activities and business affairs of Rural Telephone Finance Cooperative, which provides financing to the rural telecommunications members; and the National Cooperative Services Corporation that provides financing to the for-profit and non-profit entities. As of May 31, 2009, the company's consolidated membership was 1,522, including 897 utility members, 498 telecommunications members, 66 service members, and 61 associates located in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and the 2 United States territories.

School Employees Retirement System of Ohio was formed in 1937 and is based in Columbus, Ohio. School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) provides pension, survivor, disability, and post-retirement health care benefits active and retired non-teaching public school employees of Ohio. As a limited partner, School Employees Retirement System of Ohio is a public pension fund with $8 billion in assets under management. The fund engages in the following alternative investment strategies: buyouts/corporate finance, international private equity, and venture capital. It has a net internal rate of return target of the S&P 500 + 3%. The fund allocates 1% to 5% of its total assets to alternative investments.

Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. was founded in 1974. Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. is a private equity firm specializing in management-led buyouts, growth capital, turnarounds, special situations, industry consolidations, and recapitalizations for growth companies. It also provides bridge loans. The firm seeks to invest in media and telecommunications, financial services, healthcare, industrial, distribution, manufacturing, consumer and retail, business and information services, education, pharmaceuticals, and entertainment sectors. It targets companies based throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. The firm typically invests between $100 million and $400 million, but will consider equity commitments starting at $25 million. For buyouts, it targets companies with annual sales between $5 million and $3 billion and transaction values ranging between $50 million and $3 billion. The firm seeks to acquire substantial ownership positions and board seat in its portfolio companies. It generally, makes investments for five years and exit through outright sales, public offerings, recapitalizations, and joint ventures.

FBR Capital Markets Corporation is a full-service investment banking, institutional brokerage and asset management company. In addition, it makes principal investments, including merchant banking investments. The Company’s subsidiaries are FBR Capital Markets & Co. (FBR & Co.), FBR Capital Markets International, Ltd. (FBRIL), Financial Services Authority (FSA), and FBR Fund Advisers, Inc. (FBR Fund Advisers). Its segments include capital markets, which include investment banking and institutional brokerage and research; asset management, and principal investing, which includes merchant banking. The Company’s capital markets business is conducted by its investment banking and institutional brokerage professionals through its United States and United Kingdom broker-dealer subsidiaries. The Company’s investment adviser subsidiaries principally manage a family of mutual funds. On August 31, 2009, the Company acquired Watch Hill Partners LLC.

Forward Ventures, founded in 1993, has a team of five investment professionals with extensive experience in venture capital and operations. Forward has invested in over 50 companies since it was founded in 1993 and currently has approximately $500 million in capital under management. The most recent fund, Forward V, continues Forward Ventures’ program of life sciences and health care venture investing in companies of all stages. The firm is headquartered in a 40,000 square-foot research building that also serves as an incubator for its portfolio companies.

Clerical Medical targets the practical and economical, helping to make sure their retirement years are more paradisiacal than ascetical. Clerical Medical, which started out serving clergy members and physicians, today provides middle-class professionals and other clients from all walks of life with tools to build their nest eggs. The company's products include group and individual pension plans and other investment products, such as life insurance, offshore investment funds, and a variety of bonds (flexible growth, income, and others); it has more than $39 billion under management. Clerical Medical is a subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group.

In January 1997, Alchemy was formed as a private equity advisory business and in 2006 added a team to focus on distressed debt and special opportunities. In 2007, Alchemy launched a development capital fund advisory business based in India. The Alchemy Partners and Portfolio Monitoring Directors work closely as a small, highly professional team with considerable investment experience, supported by motivated and ambitious Executives. Funding is provided by a large number of blue-chip investors including major banks, pension funds, fund-of-funds, university endowments and high net worth individuals. Alchemy is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the current turbulent markets with its focus on value investing and experience in executing difficult deals.

Founded in 1988 by President Kay Chandler, the firm has some $2 billion under management. Chandler Asset Management is an investment adviser specializing in the management of fixed-income portfolios for institutional investors. The firm offers portfolio management, analysis, and accounting as well as cash flow modeling, compliance reporting, and client training. Its investment strategies include short-term fixed income, core fixed income, and 1-5 year fixed income. Public agencies, healthcare companies, foundations, endowments, and corporations make up Chandler's customer base.

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