Our team

Meet the talented analysts, traders, and financial experts committed to helping your bank or credit union thrive. We specialize in high-quality, low-risk government-guaranteed loan products. Hanover Securities is a registered broker-dealer, FINRA and SIPC member, and one of the few SBA-approved pool assemblers in the United States.

Joel Banes

Director

Stephen Bone

Whole Loan Trader

John Hirt

Managing Director, Financial Strategies

Matt Monaco

President & CEO

Brian Swanson

Chief Operating Officer

Lender Relations

Jennifer Coltharp

Director of Lender Relations

Donna Reed

Lender Relations Associate

Financial Strategists

Lisa Banes

Associate Financial Strategist

Marie Fitts

Financial Strategist

Richard Fuchs

Managing Director,
Socially Responsible Investing

Ben Garvin

Associate Financial Strategist

Casey Goodwin

Financial Strategist

Wagner Gurkin

Associate Financial Strategist

Matt Ihrke, FRM

Financial Strategist

Carl Moerbe, CFA

Chief Strategist

Lee Olswanger

Associate Financial Strategist

Mario Ovelar

Associate Financial Strategist

Jack Paratore

Financial Strategist

Paul G. Smith

Associate Financial Strategist

Steven Shelton

Financial Strategist

Trading

Hailey Atwill-Layrock

SBA Trader

Maddy Danziger

Whole Loan Trader

Jim Tait

Managing Director,
Mortgage-Backed Securities

Operations & Support

Kevin Bentley

Director of Compliance

Margaret Echols

SBA Settlements

Brandon Hamann

Digital Marketing Coordinator

Chase Mednikow

Executive Assistant

Denise Omar

Human Resources

Nancy Raileanu

Director of Strategist
Training and Support

Denice Susen

Director of Operations

Jonathan Wood

Programmer

Lisa Banes

Associate Financial Strategist

Lisa Banes joined our team in 2021 as an Associate Financial Strategist. She's been connected with the finance industry through friends and, of course, family. She has made a name for herself as a marketing and sales professional, having run her own business in Seattle for over 20 years and has decided to share that expertise with us.

Education: BS, Memphis State University

lbanes@banescapital.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5938

Mario Ovelar

Associate Financial Strategist

Mario Ovelar may be a recent addition to our team — but with years of experience in banking and insurance, he's well-versed in sales and the art of relationship building. A former soccer and basketball player, Mario stays active in Memphis' adult leagues and volunteers his time in the community as a youth basketball coach. He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and speaks fluent Spanish.

Education: Psychology, The University of Memphis

movelar@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5976

Paul G. Smith

Associate Financial Strategist

Paul joined Banes Capital with 20 years of Technology, Finance, and Luxury Automobile Retail experience. He covered Dell clients ranging from High Frequency Trading companies to startup “Silicon Alley” businesses in New York and internationally in Southern England. He managed sales and finance at Lexus of Memphis. He is excited to be part of the Financial Strategy group at Banes and assist banks and credit unions that need protection against rising rates and want to generate strong yield performance in a liquid financial environment

Education: BS in Business Administration, University of Tennessee Knoxville

psmith@banescapital.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5939

Maddy Danziger

Whole Loan Trader

Maddy joined our whole loan trading team after interning with us in the lender relations department, all during her final year of schooling. Her affinity for analysis, whether it be macroeconomic or loan level, and her will to understand others make her effective in understanding and meeting the needs of any financial institution. In her new role, Maddy coordinates with strategists, traders, and a variety of financial institutions active in the secondary market to facilitate whole loan and participation trades.

During school, Maddy remained busy by writing economic commentary for the Banes Capital Group website and working as a research assistant for her university's economics department.

Education: University of Connecticut, summa cum laude, BA in Economics, BA in Political Science

mdanziger@banescapital.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5965

Brandon Hamann

Digital Marketing Coordinator

Brandon Hamann joined the team as an intern in 2020. Since then, he’s helped us focus our marketing efforts and added a fresh voice to our brand. He spends his time compiling and updating digital and print collateral, and looking for new ways to tell our story.

Before moving to Memphis, Brandon spent more than seven years teaching, training, coaching and managing online organizations for veterans. He was awarded the Campus Compact President’s Student Civic Leader Award for volunteering in Washington State and inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Education: Washington State University, Bachelor's in Integrated Strategic Communication

bhamann@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5935

Chase Mednikow

Executive Assistant

Chase is a Memphis native and a University of Memphis Alum. She was a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, Gamma Eta Chapter, where she enjoyed volunteering with Ronald McDonald House Charities. Having worked several years of experience in event planning and management, Chase has a masterful grasp of communication and organizational skills. She worked in logistics at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital before joining our team in October 2021. Chase enjoys staying active, cooking, traveling, and cheering on the Memphis Tigers outside the office.

Education: BS, University of Memphis

cmednikow@banescapital.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5904

Laura Black

Lender Relations Associate

Laura joined us in 2021 and brings 10+ years of experience in sales, administration, and marketing to her role as Lender Relations Associate. As an avid University of Georgia football fan, whenever there's a game, she's watching it. Laura spends her off time with her daughter, Natalie, watching sporting events, exercising, dining out, and traveling to the lake.

Education: BA in Public Relations, Augusta State University

lblack@banescapital.com

Direct: +1 (901) 261-5962

Wagner Gurkin

Associate Financial Strategist

Wagner joined the BCG Financial Strategies Group in 2021. His role includes working with banks and credit unions to help optimize their performance and diversify their loan and securities portfolios. Prior to moving to Sales, he supported our Whole Trade Trading Desk as an Analyst.

Before Banes Capital, Wagner worked for FedEx Services as a Senior Accountant. Wagner was a contributing writer of their 10K Report intended for Investors and Analysts. He also assisted with Account Reconciliations and Month-End Close Reports in the Revenue and Salaries & Wages Divisions.

Wagner lives in Collierville, Tennessee with his wife and baby daughter, and two rescue pit bull pups. He is an avid deer and duck hunter and a University of Alabama football fan.

Education: University of Memphis, MA of Accounting

wgurkin@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5981

Margaret Echols

SBA Settlements

Margaret Echols is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. Her career in finance started right out of high school at the National Bank of Commerce in 1980 as an Account Information Clerk.

In 1985, Margaret joined Morgan Keegan as a data entry clerk. Within a couple of weeks, her role switched to Assistant to the Municipal Trading Desk, giving her an increasing repertoire of skills. After a few years, she became a valuable part of the Secondary Market/Repo Trading Desk. In June of 2012, Margaret assisted with establishing the Secondary Market Trading Desk and operated the Secondary Market Operations Department for Stifel Nicolaus/Stifel Bank and Trust.

Margaret joined Banes Capital Group in November of 2020, bringing 41 plus years of Fixed Income Capital Market/Banking experience and significant knowledge of Secondary Market products. Margaret is versatile, self-motivated, and creative. She firmly believes that life and family are priceless.

mechols@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5936

Steven Shelton

Financial Strategist

Steven Shelton joins Hanover Securities with experience in both management and sales. At Banes Capital, he specialized in assisting institutional clients in managing loan-to-deposit ratios through the purchase of SBA and USDA government-guaranteed loans and pools.

Education: B.S. in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting; MBA from Christian Brothers University
Licenses: Series 63, 7

sshelton@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5967

Stephen Bone

Whole Loan Trader

A 24-year capital markets veteran, Stephen Bone has worked with some of the best fixed-income and loan capital markets firms in the country including FTN Financial, Morgan Keegan, Raymond James, Cantor Fitzgerald, and Bear Stearns.

After sensing a need for focused, analytics-based trading advice among his bank and credit union clients, Stephen founded Resi Consulting, LLC, a firm focused on providing fee-based loan capital markets advice to financial institutions across the country, and most recently he teamed with friend and colleague Joel Banes to found BCG Loan Trading, the whole loan trading desk at Banes Capital Group.

Stephen lives in Oxford, MS with his wife and two daughters.

Education: B.S., Finance; M.B.A.; Arkansas State University

sbone@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5927

Richard Fuchs

Managing Director, Socially Responsible Investments

A 35-year history in fixed income sales has been focused for the most recent 20 years by specializing in CRA- Community Reinvestment Act- investments and tax credits. The goal has been to provide banks, insurance companies and mission related investors with unique solutions that complement regulatory guidelines and Socially Responsible Investing.

Rich spent 14 years at Sandler O’Neill + Partners in New York as Director assisting banks with their CRA obligations. He identified community-based ideas and was able to convert them to loans, investments, and tax credit products. He was able to complete many innovative tax credit financings for Low Income, New Market, Historic, and Solar projects.

Education: B. S. Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
Licenses: Series 7 and 63

rfuchs@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5913

Nancy Raileanu

Director of Strategist Training and Support

Nancy focuses on developing and implementing our sales and product educational sessions. Her goal is to improve the organization's product knowledge and selling skills and drive better processes and outcomes. As a long-term Marketer, she is focused on delivering positive ROI and an exceptional customer experience. She’s highly collaborative and works across different teams to design and sell plans to key stakeholders and follow up with crisp execution.

She's marketed for quality brands like FedEx, Cooper Lighting, Art.com, Nationwide Insurance, Mimeo.com and IRIS Orchestra. She is an integral part of making your experience working with Banes Capital Group and Hanover Securities a pleasant business experience.

Education: BA, Colgate University

nraileanu@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5970

Matt Ihrke

FRM, Financial Strategist

Matt Ihrke has been a professional in the fixed income markets for 24 years. Beginning his career in Memphis, Tennessee, Matt traded over-the-counter Callable Agencies, and later Corporates, for Morgan Keegan. In 2003, Matt took an opportunity with RBC Dain to trade new-issue Callable Agencies before returning home to Chicago in 2005 to build out the Agency desk at Incapital.

As the business grew, Matt’s role transitioned into Risk Management of fixed income product groups including Agencies, Corporates, CMOs, MBS, and Structured Products, and he earned his Financial Risk Manager Certification (FRM) from the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP). Most recently, Matt has been consulting on the lending side of Mergers and Acquisitions in the Registered Investment Advisor space. He lives in Northbrook, Illinois.

Licenses: Series 7

mihrke@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5978

Matt Monaco

President & CEO

Matt Monaco brings more than 25 years of experience in the government-guaranteed loan sector to his role, which he’s held since 2019. Primarily a trader, Matt has participated in loan settlements, pool securitizations, analytics, loan purchases, and sales. He has been instrumental in three start-up operations.

Education: B.A. in Economics and Business Administration from Rhodes College and an M.B.A. from the University of Memphis.
Licenses: Series 7, 63, 65, 24

mmonaco@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5952

Marie Fitts

Financial Strategist

Marie Fitts joins us after a long tenure at Morgan Keegan/Raymond James. She advanced quickly from an entry-level operations position to vice president in fixed income sales platforms, using her diverse industry training and a combination of communicative, restorative, and analytical skill sets.

Marie has comprehensive expertise in fixed income securities operations, clearing, trading, management, and sales. Her diverse product knowledge includes US government and agency debt; US-denominated corporate debt, municipal bonds, and small business administration (SBA) pools, with an extensive background in mortgage-backed specified pools, To-Be-Announced (TBA) forward mortgage securities, pool information, and pool allocations.

Education: University of Tennessee – Martin
Licenses: Series 7 and 63

mfitts@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5934

Lee Olswanger

Associate Financial Strategist

Lee Olswanger joined our team in September 2020. He started his career working as an analyst at UBS Group AG in Nashville, TN, where he assisted client advisors and portfolio managers. After a few years with UBS, Lee moved back home to Memphis, TN, to accept a position as a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch.

He is active in the community and serves on the board of several local organizations, including the Memphis Jewish Community Center and the Tennessee Chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

Education: University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting
Licenses: Series 7 and 66

lolswanger@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5979

Kevin Bentley

Director of Compliance

Kevin Bentley has spent most of his 30-year financial career in the securities industry. Prior to working with Hanover Securities, he was with Banes Capital Group as Director of Compliance and at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney as financial advisor and complex risk officer.

Education: B.B.A. in accounting from the University of Memphis, M.B.A. in Finance from Christian Brothers University.
Licenses: Series 7, 23, 10, 9, 31, 3, 65, 63

kbentley@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5975

Jonathan Wood

Programmer

Jonathan has almost 10 years of experience in developing .Net applications for manufacturing, logistics, inventory control systems, and financial reporting. He also has a lifelong passion for software development. Jonathan helps the organization's leadership by understanding and translating business needs into software solutions. He works on critical systems that help the company and customers meet operational and settlement goals, within our high compliance standards.

Education: The University of Memphis: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Bachelor of Science in Psychology

jwood@hanover-securities.com

John Hirt

Managing Director, Financial Strategies

John Hirt leads the Sales team at Banes Capital Group and Hanover Securities, which has tripled in size and gross revenue during his tenure. Committed to product knowledge, John leads a daily sales call where he and traders communicate product knowledge and relevant market conditions. Sales Strategists are expected to act as consultants to bank and credit union C-suite leaders, helping them optimize their portfolio. John leads by example with focus, energy, and excellence. These are traits that John brings to the organization and requires of his organization. John sits on the Leadership Team of Banes Capital & Hanover helping the Company grow to its full potential.

John has over 25 years of industry experience including his time as Managing Director and National Sales Manager for Raymond James. While there, John served on the senior management committee for the Fixed Income Capital Markets group.

Prior to Raymond James, John was a Managing Director and National Sales Manager for Morgan Keegan. During the sale of Morgan Keegan to Raymond James in 2012, John served on the transition and integration team for the two firms. He was Morgan Keegan’s top producer in Institutional Fixed Income in 2011 and was one of the highest producing brokers in the history of the firm. John joined Morgan Keegan in 1996, having worked for two years prior at First Tennessee’s Bond Division, achieving top 20 status in his second year.

Prior to joining First Tennessee Bank’s bond division, John was involved in M&A activity with WSGP and later Aurora Capital Partners in Century City, California.

Education: B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Geneva College; EMBA, Emory University
Licenses: Series 7, 63

jhirt@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5964

Joel Banes

Director

Joel Banes is a seasoned SBA professional in Memphis, Tennessee with over 25 years of industry experience specializing in the management of fixed income securities, specializing in the SBA 7(a) and USDA market. He is the Founder and CEO of Banes Capital Management, LLC, and served as Managing Director of SBA Pooling and Trading for Shay Financial Services, Inc. for a decade.

He launched broker-dealer Hanover Securities in 2016 with long-time friend and business associate, John Hanover of Los Angeles. He trades SBA, USDA and FSA loans, SBA 7a pools, SBA COOFs as well as MBS's and other traditional fixed income products.

Education: B.S. from the University of Tennessee and studied at the Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania.

jbanes@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5951

Jim Tait

MBS Trader

Jim Tait is an icon in the MBS world, trading since 1981. Jim spent 27 years of his career as an MBS Trader/ Managing Director at Morgan Keegan before the Raymond James/MK merger.

His daily Cherry Picks highlight the best of the bonds and his colorful financial commentary serves as a side of perspective for your morning coffee. As a subject matter expert on Mortgage-Backed Securities, he frequently shares his insights with his 2,000 LinkedIn followers. MBS are his main product line, but Jim also traffics in whole loans.

jtait@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5963

Jennifer Coltharp

Director of Lender Relations

Jennifer maintains client relationships for our clients who bid on SBA and USDA loans. If you need help to originate, buy, sell or service these loans, Jennifer will help you start that process. She has helped facilitate the trade of some of the largest loans in USDA history and wants to help you trade yours.

Jennifer has been in the Finance industry for over 15 years, first at Morgan Keegan, now Raymond James, in Compliance. She learned to understand and work with Regulators and guide others. She transitioned to Branch Management after a while and learned the nuances, the needs, and the wants of Brokers, Banks, and Credit Unions she worked with. She joined Banes Capital Group and Hanover Securities with the drive to serve clients with the utmost professionalism.

Jennifer is a member of Junior League of Memphis and Junior Auxiliary which help guide Women and Children, respectively, in education, becoming leaders, and becoming the best they can be. She also sits on the Memphis Botanical Garden’s Board of Directors. Beyond that, she participates in Memphis in May World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest with her team and makes great food every single year.

jcoltharp@banescapital.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5951

Jack Paratore

Financial Strategist

Jack Paratore’s sales experience began with municipal bonds, government agencies, and mortgage-backed securities. During his time at Morgan Keegan/Raymond James, he worked closely with Public Finance and the Investment Banking division selling proprietary CMOs with emphasis on credit tenant transactions. Jack also focused on taxable and tax-exempt municipal bonds for insurance companies and bond funds.

He has supported investment bankers with new proprietary debt deals including CTLs, project finance, and construction-to-permanent deals; and hedge funds and money managers for whole loan packages.

Education: MBA in Finance, Long Island University; BA, Queens College of City College New York (C.C.N.Y.Licenses: Series 7, Series 24, Series 63, Series 3

jparatore@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5933

Hailey Atwill-Layrock

SBA Trader

Hailey Layrock is Hanover Securities’ senior SBA and USDA Trader. Before joining us at Hanover, she was at MassMutual Financial Group for 9 years in financial reporting, operations, and as a mutual fund accountant. Now, her specialties include government guaranteed loans and pool products. With over 15 years of experience in the financial industry, she brings a unique perspective to each institution. She coordinates with the sales team every day to ensure our clients get the most out of their investment strategies.

Hailey completed her Masters in Business Administration at University of Memphis, and prior a BSBA at Christian Brothers University.

With the current market-focus on socially impactful and CRA-positive accreditations, Hailey has become an expert in what loans and pools meet our investors’ needs. She’s become a vital part of our team with her creation of diverse pools and products. With us, she’s facilitated over $1 Billion in SBA Securitizations.

Finance is the family business for Hailey: her father, the late Mark Atwill, was managing director of fixed income trading at SunTrust Bank.

Education: BS, Finance, Christian Brothers University; MBA, University of Memphis

hlayrock@banescapital.com+1 (901) 261-5971

Donna Reed

Lender Relations Associate

Donna Reed has 25 years of experience in office administration and management. She is a dedicated Settlement Specialist with an eye for detail. Donna handles purchasing, accounts receivable and accounts payable.

Education: BA, Accounting

dreed@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5972

Denise Omar

Human Resources

With more than 20 years of experience in the financial industry, Denise Omar brings her diversified knowledge of business to Hanover Securities. Denise contributed at Clayton Brokerage, Morgan Stanley and Banes Capital Group in branch administration and management. Denise is a registered representative.

domar@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5916

Denice Susen

Director of Operations

As Director of Operations at Hanover Securities, Denice Susen brings a diverse background in international and domestic banking. The experience provides her with a clear understanding of client needs and allows her to provide detailed operational support related to loan settlements.

Education: University of Washington

dsusen@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5974

Daniel Gully

Associate Financial Strategist

Daniel Gully joined the team in a new role for 2020 after making himself invaluable in the Strategies group. He has a facility with numbers and an ability to unearth opportunities to optimize portfolio value. Daniel discovered an interest in capital markets while participating in the TVA Investment Challenge, a partnership between TVA and Christian Brothers University.

Throughout his college years, Daniel worked for the Salvation Army Kroc Center of Memphis, ultimately growing into a leadership role before joining Banes to continue serving the community. He is interested in personal fitness and wellness.

Education: Bachelor's of Science; Finance, Economics, Christian Brothers University

dgully@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5923

Casey Goodwin

Financial Strategist

Casey Goodwin joined the firm in 2018 and has shown a keen ability for helping banks and credit unions optimize portfolio yield with SBA and USDA government-guaranteed loans.

Casey lives in Memphis and coaches youth football and basketball at Christ Methodist Church. As a retired first baseman at CBU, he keeps his skills sharp playing competitive softball.

Education: B.S. in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting, Christian Brothers University
Licenses: Series 63, 7

cgoodwin@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5980

Ben Garvin

Associate Financial Strategist

After an unconventional start to 2020, Ben Garvin joined the team as a Strategies Analyst. Through some time on the desk learning loan tapes and so on, he graduated to now be a Financial Strategist, and is now working even closer with his banks and credit unions.

Ben grew up in Nashville and is a recent graduate of Christian Brothers University. Ben was a four-year member of the Buccaneer Men’s Golf Team and served as Treasurer of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Xi-Eta Chapter. He enjoys playing golf, cooking, and almost anything that allows him to appreciate the outdoors.

Education: Christian Brothers University, Bachelor’s in Business Administration

bgarvin@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5932

Brian Swanson

Chief Operating Officer

Brian Swanson was named Chief Operating Officer in 2020. He has 20 years of experience in information technology and administration. In addition to overseeing the company's business operations, Brian’s responsibilities include platform design, programming management, software and hardware decisions, troubleshooting and heading up all IT initiatives.

Brian is a co-founder and previous board member of Memphis Technology Foundation, as well as co-founder and steering committee chair of GiveCamp Memphis.

bswanson@hanover-securities.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5959

Carl Moerbe

Chief Strategist

Carl Moerbe has expansive financial experience and responsibilities in investments and system platforms like Bloomberg, Tradeweb, and Thomas Ho Company. He has provided management and execution for institutional investors ($200mm to $10Bln+), with an emphasis on U.S. Investment Grade Debt, product evaluation, analysis and recommendation, portfolio analytics, simulation modeling development, account consulting, interest rate risk management, and regulatory compliance. Carl has a long history with Morgan Keegan/Raymond James, having been a star player in many high-level documentation creation.

He has interacted directly with, executed for, and advised many types of investors including money managers, individual/private Investors, depositories, state and local governments, foreign central banks, foundations and trusts, nonprofits, and insurance companies. Now, he is advising accounts on asset allocation, investment products, and portfolio strategies.

Education: BBA University of Texas – Austin
CFA Charterholder: 2003-Present
Licenses: Series 7, 63, 16

cmoerbe@banescapital.com
Direct: +1 (901) 261-5968