Stephen E. Nelson Managing Director Tel: 847.991.6622

As a Managing Director of Hovde Securities and Hovde Financial’s investment banking team, Mr. Nelson specializes in advising Midwestern financial institutions on their respective strategic and financial needs. In this capacity, he is actively involved in structuring and negotiating mergers and acquisitions and advising on branch acquisitions and divestitures for his banking clientele.  In this role, he has handled numerous transactions in excess of several billion dollars in aggregate deal value including: Gold Banc’s $715 million sale to Marshall & Ilsley, F&M Bancorp’s $820 million sale to Citizens Banking Corp. and on Bank Midwest’s branch divestiture of $2.8 billion in deposits to NBH Holdings. 

Mr. Nelson also provides guidance to community banks on various capital raising alternatives to tailor specific strategic and financial needs.  He has extensive experience in the valuation of financial institutions and the processes attendant to mergers and acquisitions, public and private offerings, and mutual-to-stock conversions of savings banks and thrifts.

Prior to joining Hovde, Mr. Nelson was a member of the Financial Institutions Group at The Chicago Corporation where he focused on strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions and public offerings of equity and debt for financial institutions in the Midwest.

Mr. Nelson received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his Masters of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University's J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He is also licensed as a registered representative with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Mr. Nelson formerly served on the board of directors of a publicly traded banking institution in the Chicago area. He has been involved with a variety of charitable organizations including World Vision, Special Olympics and in alumni affairs with Brown University. He resides in Long Grove, Illinois and is married with two children.