Robert Beyer

Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc. is a global investment banking, securities trading and brokerage firm located in New York City with additional offices in Dallas, Boston and San Francisco. The firm is a subsidiary Bear Sterns Cos., Inc. (NYSE: BSC). Their equity research team consists of senior analysts located throughout the world. In addition to domestic coverage, they have research teams focusing on Latin America, Asia and Europe. The analysts use a bottom-up approach to stock selection. The Bear Stearns fixed-income research department provides coverage of every sector of the fixed-income universe. The financial analytics and structured transactions group (F.A.S.T) provides investment research, fixed-income portfolio management and analytical systems, trading technology and general financial expertise. The group also provides a broad range of services to financial institutions including asset-liability management, balance sheet restructuring, receivables-based financing analysis, security and portfolio analysis, peer analysis, and historical and real-time market-based information.

TCW Asset Management Co. LLC (TCW) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm was founded in 1992 and is wholly-owned by The TCW Group, Inc. In 2013, TCW management and private investment funds affiliated with The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) acquired TCW Group from Société Générale. TCW provides investment management and advice for a wide array of investment strategies for institutional and individual investors through investment advisory accounts, private open- and closed-end commingled investment funds and structured investment vehicles such as collateralized debt obligations.

Jefferies Group LLC operates as an investment banking firm. It offers underwriting, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and recapitalization, and other advisory services. The firm also offers research and execution services in equity, fixed income and foreign exchange markets. The company was founded by Boyd L. Jefferies on October 2, 1962 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Allstate Insurance Co. provides insurance and financial services. It offers property, liability, life, reinsurance and commercial insurance services. The firm's clients include individuals, institutions and commercial organizations. The company was founded in 1931 and is headquartered in Dallas, TX.

Founded in 1991, TCW/Crescent Mezzanine LLC is a private equity firm headquartered in Los Angeles. The firm is a division of TCW Asset Management Co., Inc. and a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole SA. Their ultimate parent is Paris, France-based Rue de la Boetie SAS.