Bank of America's New fab four

Bank of America Asia has announced the formation of a new four-member Asian debt management team. The immediate appointments will be filled internally with the positions being split between Hong Kong and Singapore. All four managers will report to Colm McCarthy, president of Bank of America Asia, and the London-based Arrington Mixon, head of debt, international.

John Liles takes the most senior position in the shuffle and is named managing director and head of debt capital raising, Asia. To be based in Bank of America's Singapore branch, Liles will lead its debt capital raising, sales and distribution operations. He will also be responsible for facilitating the integration and organization of debt origination for Asia. Liles crosses the equator from Australia where he was the country executive office for Bank of America.

Joining Liles in Singapore as managing director and head of debt markets, Korea and South Asia will be Scott Jung. His new appointment will require responsibility for debt market activity in Korea and South Asia (including Australia). Jung comes to the Lion city from Seoul where he was country treasurer and a trading room manager.

Bank of America's Hong Kong debt capital and structured finance operations will be bolstered by the promotions of Alvin Chua and Edwin Png. Chua becomes Bank of America's managing director and head of Institutional Sales Asia and will be responsible for strengthening its Asian institutional investor business and managing the region's institutional sales force. Previously, Chua was head of high grade fixed income sales and trading for Asia.

Also located in the Hong Kong branch, Png will lead debt market activity in the Greater China and Japan markets. Png leaves his post as Taiwan country executive officer and country treasurer to become managing director and head of debt markets, Japan and Greater China position. Along with Jung, Png will be involved with managing Bank of America's trading and structured solution capabilities.

According to Bank of America, the appointments are timely, following recent successes in its origination platforms, mostly notably its recent managed multi-sector collateralised debt obligation transaction with UOB in Singapore.

According to Bank of America, the formation of an Asian debt management team complements recent augmentation of its European debt and commercial investment banking teams.

"We're taking our debt platform to the next level with the appointment of these four new executives," comments McCarthy. "This team will provide a seamless interface with our global products teams and accelerate the success we've had with capital raising products as well as with more structured solutions such as CDOs and structured derivatives."