NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Apr 19, 2012) - Mizuho Securities USA ("MSUSA") (NYSE: [ MFG ]), the U.S. broker-dealer subsidiary of the global Mizuho Financial Group, today announced the appointment of Jon Bass as Managing Director in the newly created position of Head of High Yield Sales in its Fixed Income Division. In his new role, Mr. Bass will focus on strengthening and expanding MSUSA's high yield sales platform and will report to Jerry Rizzieri, Executive Managing Director and Head of Fixed Income for MSUSA.

Mr. Bass has more than two decades of sales experience in financial services. Prior to joining MSUSA, he served as global head of distribution for MF Global, and before that as global head of fixed income at BTIG. He also spent nine years as head of all U.S. fixed income distribution for UBS, where he was responsible for a sales force of more than 150 people, while also serving as a member of the UBS Investment Bank Board.

John Koudounis, MSUSA's President and CEO, stated, "Adding Jon Bass as Head of High Yield Sales, together with the targeted investments that we continue to make to our strategically growing credit business, is another clear sign of our ongoing commitment to providing clients with access to diversified funding sources and unmatched sales and trading coverage across all asset classes. With the strength of Mizuho's global presence, and an enhanced product suite supported by the talent and energy of our team, MSUSA is ideally equipped to help clients maximize capital and successfully meet all their financial objectives."

MSUSA has continued to build out its fixed income capabilities over the last several months with significant hires across sales, trading and origination, including Dan Brereton, Executive Director and Head of Credit Trading; James Hurst, Executive Director, Mortgage Backed Sales; James Guardino, Executive Director, Debt Capital Markets; Keith Chan, Executive Director, Strategic Credit, Hong Kong; Ray Lafontant, Director, Mortgage Backed Trading; and Dan Schaeffer, Director, ABS Trading.

About Mizuho Securities USA
Mizuho Securities USA Inc. is a U.S. registered broker-dealer headquartered in New York City, with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hoboken (NJ), Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and London (UK). MSUSA provides a wide range of fixed income and equity securities products and investment banking services to institutional clients. MSUSA is one of only 21 firms designated as a Primary Dealer in U.S. Government and Agency securities. MSUSA also is a U.S. registered futures commission merchant ("FCM") and a member of most international futures exchanges. MSUSA's parent company, Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd., is a top-tier, full-service, Japanese securities firm and a core member of the Mizuho Financial Group. [ http://www.mizuhosecurities.com ]

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: [ MFG ]), based in Japan, is one of the largest financial institutions in the world, offering a broad range of financial services including banking, securities, trust and asset management, credit card, private banking services, and venture capital through its group companies. The group has approximately 57,000 staff working in more than 980 offices inside and outside Japan, and total assets of over $2.1 trillion as of December 31, 2011. Its core global corporate banking entity, Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd., has offices throughout the U.S., the Americas, and the world, providing financial and strategic solutions to major corporations, financial institutions and public sector entities. For more information, please visit [ http://www.mizuho-fg.co.jp/english/ ]