Piper Jaffray boosts aircraft finance team with four veterans

By Susanna Moon

Chicago, Sept. 2 - Piper Jaffray & Co. said it named Doug Runte, Scott Sodokoff, Dan Reese and John Covello to its aircraft finance team.

The additions will add substantial depth, breadth and an increased level of client service to the firm's foundation of structured analytics expertise, the company said in a press release.

"This team brings significant knowledge of the airline industry to the firm, which complements our existing business in aviation-related structured products," Ben May, managing director and head of fixed-income services, said in a written statement.

"The expansion of this team will allow us to broaden our expertise into airline credit default swaps, airport facility bonds and other loan products," May said.

Runte has more than 15 years of experience in fixed income, providing coverage of airlines and aircraft-backed securities, airline special facility bonds, aerospace and defense, and other industry sectors. He joins Piper Jaffray as a managing director and senior analyst in fixed-income analytics.

Runte was previously a managing director at RBS Greenwich Capital where he focused on the transportation sector, as well as airline debt and aircraft-backed securities, such as enhanced equipment trust certificates. He has a bachelor's degree from Duke University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Sodokoff joins Piper Jaffray as a managing director and senior trader, with more than 21 years of transactional experience as a senior trader, desk and group head in the credit fixed-income market. He was previously a managing director and senior trader at Bear Stearns & Co. Inc. where he focused on enhanced equipment trust certificates, project finance and credit-enhanced structures. Sodokoff has a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College.

Reese rejoins the aircraft finance team as a senior desk analyst in Minneapolis. He was previously a vice president and research analyst at Piper Jaffray where he focused on aircraft asset-backed securitizations, enhanced equipment trust certificates and other structured finance sectors and spent several years providing analysis of the structured finance market, helping to build the firm's original aircraft sector expertise. Reese has a bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College.

Covello has more than 12 years of trading experience and previously worked at Bear Stearns for more than 10 years. At Piper Jaffray, he supports the aircraft finance team as a trader where he focuses primarily on secured airline debt, energy project debt and private placements. Covello holds a bachelor's degree from Hofstra University.

Based in Minneapolis, Piper Jaffray is a middle-market investment bank and institutional securities firm.

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