New York City Financial Services Trip
8 - 11 April, 2010

- Yuki Hashimoto

Rockefeller Center:

There could not have been a better place than Rockefeller Center as the first destination of our Financial Market’s Trip. One of the tallest buildings located in Manhattan, the observation deck of Rockefeller Center looks over the entire city of New York with a clear 360 degree view. The countless number of skyscrapers in NYC city is a reflection of the success attained by America in the last century, and the thought of getting to meet some of the key personnel of the present day financial market became an overwhelming excitement.

Riverside Company:

I thought I knew something about the field of M&A, nothing other than the public image that has been portrayed upon them as being the symbol of greed, screwing over the small businesses for their personal gain. The meeting with Mr. Robert Landis, the Principal of a private equity firm specialized in M&A, opened up my eyes to an aspect of M&A that I was apparently blinded to. The Riverside Company is not a company that simply acquires a profitable business for the sole purpose of personal gain; it seeks to maximize the potential of the business by utilizing sophisticated infrastructure. Seeing his genuine passion for pursuing the success of the company Riverside acquires, my view towards M&A was completely shifted and even inspired me to consider it as one of the possible career paths.

Art Finance Partners:

Creativity/Innovation is one of the primary strengths that Americans are recognized for, and Art Finance Partners certainly carries that trait in their business. People have found ways to hedge their wealth through a variety of means: Gold, financial securities, real estate, just to name a few. However, who would have thought of art as an effective tool to hedge the risk on their investment? Furthermore, who would have thought of establishing a business to exploit this rather unpopular market? Art Finance Group is one of the few firms who have successfully established a business in this market. What was most striking about their business was that they have never suffered from clients defaulting on the loan. Our visit to Art Finance Partners was by remarkable, and it showed us the innovative side of the finance industry.

The Deutsche Bank Group:

We were truly blessed to have an opportunity to meet with the masterminds of one of the most renounced banks of the world, The Deutsche Bank Group. It is needless to say how excited we were about this opportunity. The Deutsche Bank Group is located in Park Avenue, at the heart of the financial district. When we arrived at the company, we were hosted by 3 managers, all coming from different divisions, and another manager who is a UW Alumni. The meeting entailed discussion topics ranging from how each personnel became part of The Deutsche Bank Group to the functions they manage. Above all else, the most interesting aspect of the meeting was being able to feel the sophisticated culture of one of the world’s most renounced financial institutions. The corporate culture of DB, one that is filled with the elegance and intellectual vibe were certainly present in the people we met. Mrs. Zieglmeier, told us that it is this environment which enables her to work with the competent is the most rewarding aspect of the job. This was the highlight of my trip in NYC, and I was solidified with my desire to pursue a career in investment banking as I exited the meeting.

The Federal Reserve Bank:

I must shamefully admit that I had thought that a talented group of criminals would have a chance of getting the gold out of the Gold Vaults, as they make it seem very manageable in the Hollywood Films. No chance is the safe conclusion I came to after visiting the Gold Vault. Located deep beneath the street, it is constantly watched and guarded by the secret service. No one has ever even made an attempt to sneak into the Gold Vault, according to one of the securities. After a brief tour of the building, we had the privilege to meet with Mr. Michael Alix, the Senior Vice President of The Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He gave us fresh insights on the financial crisis in 2008, as well as the direction of our current financial market. I was able to come out of the trip with more in depth understanding about the role the Federal Reserve Bank plays in the U.S. economy.

New York State Department of Banking:

I had a lot of presumptions about the jobs in government, though most of which proved to be false after meeting with Mr. Warren Hochbaum, the Deputy of Superintendent of Banks from the New York State Department of Banking. The biggest false impression I held was that people who work for the government are unfriendly and hard to relate to, but Mr. Warren Hochbaum broke the false perception within minutes of introduction. His speech was filled with excitement and in depth insights into the finance industry; furthermore, he delivered everything with a spike of humor, effectively captivating my attention that was exhausted from the trip. I feel as though there are only good things to mention about the NYC trip, and a large credit must be given to Mr. Hochbaum and his unique character that made the trip absolutely unforgettable.

NASDAQ:

Our Financial Markets Trip was concluded with a visit to NASDAQ. Found right on Times Square, what we had witnessed at one of the largest stock exchanges in the world was nothing other than what was expected; a place filled with excitement and large shouts. The only discrepancy found from what was anticipated was that the large shouts of excitement did not come from the stock brokers but it came from a crowd of high school students. I had wrongly assumed that we were going to see the stock exchange filled with intense brokers shouting to close their trades, but it turned out to be a live broadcast reporting the end of market for the day. No, I was not disappointed. I felt as though it was rather appropriate that we concluded our Financial Markets Trip at the same time as the world’s most exciting stock exchange concluded their operation for the week. I will never forget the feeling of excitement I experienced as the crowd cheered and shouted at NASDAQ.