Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group hired three senior bankers to augment its coverage of private equity sponsor clients and its direct lending business.
The bank hired Michael Klein and Keith Murray as managing directors of sponsor coverage. They will report to Matt Maley, head of private equity sponsor coverage within MUFG’s corporate advisory group. Klein and Murray will be responsible for delivering the bank’s capabilities — including financing and capital markets solutions, advisory services and transaction banking — to sponsor clients.
In addition to Klein and Murray, MUFG’s capital markets group hired John Timoney as a managing director to focus on originating, structuring and syndicating direct lending transactions of both private equity sponsors and corporate clients. He will report to Jeffrey Knowles, head of specialized finance for MUFG.
Klein joined the firm on March 1 and Murray joined on March 15. Timoney’s start date is March 22.
Klein is based in Atlanta. He joined MUFG from Regions Bank, where he was a managing director handling the bank’s private equity sponsor coverage. Klein has more than 30 years of experience covering sponsors and portfolio companies at Wells Fargo, CIT Group, Citi, Wachovia and JPMorgan.
Murray is based in New York. He joined MUFG from RBC Capital Markets, where he served as a managing director and head of middle market leveraged finance. He previously worked at BNP Paribas and Merrill Lynch Capital, where he was a founding member of the firm’s sponsor finance business.
Timoney will be based in New York and joined MUFG from Antares Capital, where he served as a managing director in capital markets, leading the syndication of private equity sponsored and corporate debt transactions for more than nine years. Previously, he served at RBS Securities as a managing director in the loan and high-yield markets group. He held similar roles at AIB Capital Markets and Merrill Lynch.
“Michael’s and Keith’s many relationships across the private equity sector and experience in leveraged finance will be vital for MUFG in continuing to grow our sponsor business as a top-tier financial partner,” Robert Smock, head of the corporate advisory group for MUFG, said.
“John is a key addition to our capital markets group with deep knowledge in originating and structuring direct lending transactions and private market debt with financial sponsors and corporate clients,” Raj Kapadia, international head of capital markets for MUFG, said.
“John, Michael and Keith solidify our commitment to private equity sponsors, corporate clients running the gamut of credit profiles, and leveraged finance — especially during this time of economic recovery when such commitment is most needed,” Smock and Kapadia said in a joint statement.
