American Capital Announces the Hiring of New Chicago and West Coast Sponsor Finance Team Leaders

June 20, 2008 11:03 AM EDT

BETHESDA, Md., June 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Capital Strategies Ltd. (Nasdaq: ACAS) announced today that Joseph Romic and Bradley Nii have joined the firm to lead the Chicago and West Coast Sponsor Finance practices, respectively. The Sponsor Finance Group is responsible for the firm's debt and minority equity investments in support of private equity sponsors. Mr. Romic's team in Chicago includes senior professionals Jon Leiman, Michael Jordan and Jon Lindberg. The Chicago Sponsor Finance team's geographic responsibility includes Canada and the Midwest (Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and St. Louis). Mr. Nii's team on the West Coast includes senior professionals Natasha Volyanskaya, Colin Cropper, Patrick White, Brian Cohen and Mehereen Khan.

"Mr. Romic and Mr. Nii bring years of investment experience and a broad base of relationships in these important markets for American Capital," said Bowen Diehl, Managing Director of the Sponsor Finance Group, Western Region. "We are delighted to be adding talented new leaders to our Chicago and West Coast teams. Joe and Brad will provide the local leadership necessary to continue to grow our business of providing the widest and most flexible range of financing in support of our private equity sponsor partners."

"American Capital's ability to finance throughout the capital structure, including senior debt, subordinated debt and equity, along with its low cost of capital and significant in-house resources provide a powerful platform to deliver financing solutions to our private equity sponsor clients with flexibility and speed," said Joseph Romic, Principal, Sponsor Finance Group. "I am excited to join a firm and a team of professionals so committed to being the premier provider of capital to the middle market."

"I look forward to working closely with my colleagues across the Company to identify new opportunities and to build upon American Capital's competitive offerings to private equity sponsors," said Bradley Nii, Principal, Sponsor Finance Group. "With American Capital's institutional capabilities and offices throughout the country, the Sponsor Finance Group can respond with fast and attractive financing solutions ranging from $10 million to $800 million for middle market companies."

Prior to joining American Capital, Mr. Romic was a Director in the Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Group, where he spent four years originating debt and equity investments in middle market companies. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Mr. Romic was a Senior Vice President in the Global Sponsor Finance Group of General Electric Commercial Finance. He also spent ten years with Heller Financial, a publicly traded diversified commercial finance company, before it was acquired by GE in 2001.

Mr. Romic earned a Masters of Management from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Illinois Wesleyan University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Prior to joining American Capital, Mr. Nii was a Senior Vice President in the Investment Banking Group at Lehman Brothers based in Los Angeles and focused on covering financial sponsors with a presence on the West Coast. Prior to covering financial sponsors, Mr. Nii was a Vice President in the Mergers and Acquisitions group in New York. While at Lehman Brothers, Mr. Nii was involved in a number of transactions and financings totaling over $100 billion in value in a variety of industry sectors. He was also a Certified Public Accountant with Ernst & Young from 1987 to 1996.

Mr. Nii holds a Bachelors of Science in Accounting from the University of Southern California.

The Sponsor Finance Group works in partnership with private equity sponsors to provide one stop financing solutions, including senior debt, stand alone second lien and subordinated debt investments and equity co-investments to support private equity-backed buyouts, recapitalizations, add-on acquisitions and growth initiatives. The group also provides financing directly to middle-market public and private companies. The Sponsor Finance Group of American Capital, investing through American Capital and its managed funds, has made more than 215 debt and minority equity investments worth approximately $4 billion and has worked with over 140 private equity sponsors in the United States and Europe. In the last twelve months, the Sponsor Finance Group has invested approximately $2.8 billion in over 65 companies. In addition to providing financing solutions, the team of approximately 60 Sponsor Finance professionals located in 12 offices throughout the world are able to manage all pre- and post-closing aspects of a transaction, including sourcing and executing transactions and monitoring portfolio companies.

For more information about the Sponsor Finance Group, please visit http://www.AmericanCapital.com/Sponsor_Finance.

American Capital and its funds under management manage a portfolio of approximately $18 billion in over 295 companies. American Capital has invested directly and through its funds under management approximately $11 billion in the last twelve months, $4 billion year to date and $3 billion quarter to date. Not including funds under management, American Capital has invested approximately $6 billion in the last twelve months, $2 billion year to date and $830 million quarter to date. American Capital assisted in the refinance or syndication of approximately $1.7 billion of senior debt for its portfolio companies in the last twelve months, $356 million year to date and $55 million quarter to date. For more information about American Capital's portfolio, go to http://www.acas.com/our_portfolio/our_portfolio.html.

ABOUT AMERICAN CAPITAL

With $21 billion in capital resources under management(1), American Capital is the only private equity fund and the largest alternative asset management company in the S&P 500. American Capital, both directly and through its global asset management business, is an investor in management and employee buyouts, private equity buyouts, and early stage and mature private and public companies. American Capital provides senior debt, mezzanine debt and equity to fund growth, acquisitions, recapitalizations and securitizations. American Capital and its affiliates invest from $5 million to $800 million per company in North America and euro 5 million to euro 500 million per company in Europe.

As of May 31, 2008, American Capital shareholders have enjoyed a total return of 453% since the Company's IPO -- an annualized return of 17%, assuming reinvestment of dividends. American Capital has paid a total of $2.3 billion in dividends and paid or declared $28.20 dividends per share since going public in August 1997 at $15 per share.

Companies interested in learning more about American Capital's flexible financing should contact Mark Opel, Senior Vice President, Business Development, at (800) 248-9340, or visit http://www.AmericanCapital.com or http://www.EuropeanCapital.com.

Performance data quoted above represents past performance of American Capital. Past performance does not guarantee future results and the investment return and principal value of an investment in American Capital will likely fluctuate. Consequently, an investor's shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Additionally, American Capital's current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted above.

This press release contains forward-looking statements. The statements regarding expected results of American Capital are subject to various factors and uncertainties, including the uncertainties associated with the timing of transaction closings, changes in interest rates, availability of transactions, changes in regional, national or international economic conditions, or changes in the conditions of the industries in which American Capital has made investments.

(1) Capital resources under management is an estimate of internally and externally managed assets and available capital resources as of May 31, 2008 and does not include any fair value adjustments subsequent to March 31, 2008.

SOURCE American Capital Strategies Ltd.

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