Dunn Loren Merrifield emerges as best Investment Bank

Dunn Loren Merrifield (DLM) has been awarded the Best Investment Bank in Nigeria at the 2012 African Governance and Corporate Leadership Awards organised by the Institute for Government Research and Leadership Technology.

The award was in recognition of DLM’s significant contribution to the development of the domestic capital markets since the firm commenced operations in June 2009.

Specifically, DLM’s unique innovativeness and structuring capabilities was highlighted in the number of successful capital market issues to which the firm acted as lead adviser in 2011, when there was a general downturn in market activities.

In 2012, the firm has also succeeded in advising on the issue of the second series of the Federal Mortgage Bank N6billion pass-through MBS program and the FMBN SPV Issuer Limited Series 3 zero coupon notes under the residential Mortgage Back Securities Programme that raked in N24.56billion.

Other recipients of the prestigious honour include First Bank Nigeria Plc, Mantrac Nigeria Limited, Xerox (Nigeria), Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), African Reinsurance Corporation and Presco Nigeria Plc.

The council of the Institute for Government Research and Leadership Technology include Priscilla Kuye, Chairman-in-Council; Moses Essien, Country Director/CEO; Ben Nwabueze, John Akanya, and IbikariFubara. Others are Tony Travers, David Gergen and E. J. Etuk.

Dunn Loren Merrifield is a full-service investment house and also a stand-alone institution that combines the attributes of origination, distribution, trading and research.

According to Sonnie Ayere, the CEO of DLM, “this is a vindication of the firm’s policy of emphasis on seamless execution and performance driven by knowledge, innovation and unconventional approach to problem-solving”. He also stated that “given the strong competition in the industry, an unwavering resolve is what distinguishes the wheat from the chaff as there is no ‘magic formula’ that would escalate you to success.