James Finkel (Jim) is a well-known and respected veteran of the capital markets as founder of an investment manager, senior capital markets banker, and consultant. He possesses a unique set of skills that combines the technical expertise with creative structuring and dealmaking, team leadership and building businesses, enhanced by his extensive global network of business relationships.

After 12 years as a Managing Director at Kroll (rebranded from Duff & Phelps) building and managing a highly successful consulting practice relating to complex securities and markets-related disputes, Jim now serves as a Senior Advisor to Kroll. Among his over 85 engagements from this period, he was the lead damages expert for the FHFA (successor to Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac) involving $23 billion of recoveries for the US government relating to subprime RMBS losses. Many of his engagements have involved domestic and international banking activities. Jim has also led several claim recovery, liquidation and advisory transactions as a banker and in this role also has advised investment managers on M&A, risk-based capital-optimized structuring, and fundraising.

Jim was the CEO of a $5 billion AUM (at its peak) structured credit investment manager, Dynamic Credit Partners (USA) which he founded in 2003. Jim carefully scaled down that business in light of the ensuing global financial crisis and as of October 2022 the firm is no longer an SEC-registered investment advisor, having transferred its management contracts and sold its remaining portfolio of complex structured fixed income residual positions.

From 1992 to 2003, Jim was a successful senior capital markets banker at Nomura (New York), Bear Stearns (New York and London) and Deutsche Bank (London). He was a pioneer in the development of new investment products, co-lead two NYSE-listed REIT IPOs, and executed groundbreaking offerings such as the largest ever Brazilian bond repackaging, the first Euro-denominated CDO, as well as complex capital-protected and long/short investment products.

Jim began his career as a tax lawyer from 1986-1992 with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in New York in the mortgage-backed, pooled investment vehicles, cross-border aircraft finance and derivative sectors. He also worked on pro bono criminal matters, white-collar defense matters and was assigned to work with a leading law firm in Geneva, Switzerland for 4 months in 1991.

Jim is a member of the Bar of the State of New York, the American Academy of Financial Experts, and the Risk Management Association. He has degrees from the London School of Economics (M.Sc.), New York University (LL.M-Taxation), University of Miami (J.D., cum laude) and Colorado College (B.A.).