Stephens Hires Five Senior Investment Banking Professionals From Sterne Agee

ST. LOUIS, MO and LITTLE ROCK, AR--(Marketwired - April 10, 2015) - Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF), Sterne Agee Group, Inc., and Stephens Inc. today announced that they have reached an agreement whereby five Managing Directors in the Depository Investment Banking Group of Sterne Agee will join Stephens. This announcement follows the news that Stifel has entered into an agreement to acquire Sterne Agee's Wealth Management and Fixed Income Groups, and the sale of Sterne Agee's Institutional Equities business, including Equity Sales, Trading, and Research to CRT Capital Group.

"Today's announcement is a continuation of our commitment to find the professionals in Sterne Agee's Investment Banking group a home so they can continue their careers. We've again accomplished our goal of bringing individuals and companies together as a result of our announced acquisition of certain businesses of Sterne Agee," stated Ronald J. Kruszewski, Chairman and CEO of Stifel.

Eric Needleman, Chairman and CEO of Sterne Agee Group, commented, "We are pleased that Stephens recognizes the value these five senior professionals bring to an organization."

Joining Stephens' Financial Institutions Group are industry veterans: Brian D. Branson, Managing Director - Atlanta; James F. Hemmer, Managing Director - Chicago; Jeffrey D. Jones, Managing Director - Chicago; Kade N. Machen, Managing Director - Dallas; and Scott W. Studwell, Managing Director, Capital Markets - New York.

Warren Stephens, Chairman, President and CEO of Stephens, noted that Stephens has actively advised financial institutions since the 1980s, and has an outstanding track record. "These appointments are a strategic fit, exemplary of the professional expertise and talent that we have prudently built our investment banking offering around. We welcome them to Stephens and look forward to their contributions to growth and client success. Our agreement with Stifel is designed to promote client continuity and eliminate business disruption. I want to thank Ron Kruszewski, Eric Needleman and their teams for working with us to help find a good fit for all concerned," said Mr. Stephens. 

Stifel Company Information
Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifel's broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC; and Century Securities Associates, Inc., and in the United Kingdom and Europe through Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited. The Company's broker-dealer affiliates provide securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank & Trust offers a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. offers trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Company's web site at www.stifel.com.

About Sterne Agee 
Founded in 1901, Sterne Agee is one of the oldest and largest privately owned financial services firms in the nation. Through a team of over 2,000 financial professionals, Sterne Agee offers comprehensive wealth management and investment services to a diverse client base including corporations, municipalities and individual investors. The Firm custodies nearly $26 billion in client assets and has offices nationwide, as well as an office in London. Sterne Agee is the trade name used by certain affiliates of Sterne Agee Group, Inc., including Sterne, Agee & Leach, Inc., member of NYSE, FINRA and SIPC. For more information about Sterne Agee and its services please visit www.sterneagee.com.

About Stephens
Stephens Inc. is a full service investment banking firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Since its inception in 1933, privately held Stephens Inc. has served a broad client base which includes corporations, state and local governments, financial institutions, institutional investors and individual investors throughout the United States and overseas. The firm is a member of the New York Stock Exchange and SIPC. Stephens' services include investment banking, money management, wealth management, securities underwriting, equity research and general securities brokerage and trading. For more information, visit www.stephens.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that relate to the future plans, events, expectations, performance, objectives, and the like of Stifel Financial Corp., as well as Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated and its other subsidiaries (collectively, "Stifel" or the "Company") and Sterne Agee Group, Inc. ("Sterne Agee"), may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Future events, risks, and uncertainties, individually or in the aggregate, could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements.