Washington, D.C. – Olsen Palmer is pleased to announce the appointment of Roger Hernandez as Director and Head of the firm’s Midwest bank M&A advisory practice. He will be based in the newly-opened Chicago office where he will be responsible for advising Midwest bank & thrift clients across the spectrum of M&A alternatives, including buy-side advisory, sell-side advisory, valuations, fairness opinions, and Board-level assessments of strategic alternatives.
Mr. Hernandez brings almost 20 years of industry experience to Olsen Palmer. Most recently, he served in the Investment Banking Group at Performance Trust Capital Partners where he executed M&A advisory engagements for community banks across the U.S. Mr. Hernandez previously served with Zions Bancorporation in a finance and investor relations role as well with FBR Capital Markets where he executed M&A advisory and capital markets transactions for financial institutions and specialty finance companies.
Christopher Olsen, Managing Partner of Olsen Palmer said, “As we grow our business, we are very selective about who we invite to join our team, focusing only on those professionals who have the expertise and outlook to best-serve the needs of our clients and who can excel within our innovative, specialized model. Roger is a great addition to our team and we are excited about working with him to build out our advisory practice.”
“Christopher and Brian have built a truly premier independent M&A advisory firm,” Hernandez said. “The success of Olsen Palmer is a testament to both extensive expertise as well as a high-touch, conflict-free approach to advising community banks. I am very excited about building out the firm’s Midwest M&A advisory practice and bolstering Olsen Palmer’s already-impressive success.”
“Roger’s long-term background in both working for and advising financial institutions allows him to offer uniquely valuable strategic advice to community banks as they navigate increasingly-challenging industry, regulatory, and economic conditions,” said Brian Palmer, Olsen Palmer Partner and Co-Founder.
Mr. Hernandez earned his Masters of Business Administration, specializing in finance and accounting, from Simon Business School at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York and holds a Bachelor of Science in finance from Northern Illinois University.
About Olsen Palmer:
Olsen Palmer, a nationally-recognized independent investment banking firm that advises community banks across Mergers & Acquisitions, applies a community banking model to investment banking: nimble, high-touch, and conflict-free. We specialize in sell-side advisory, buy-side advisory, valuations, fairness opinions, branch acquisitions / divestitures, and Board-level assessments of strategic options.
