Management

Bennett S. Cole, President

FalconBridge was founded and is managed by Bennett S. Cole.  As President of the firm, Mr. Cole is responsible for overseeing all engagements managed by FalconBridge.  With over 20 years’ experience in investment banking and capital markets, Mr. Cole has successfully structured and placed in excess of $30 billion in transactions including venture capital, equity, high grade and high yield loans, asset backed securities, and leasing transactions.

Mr. Cole previously served as Group Head of Middle Market Investing and Lending at CSG Investments, Inc., a $6 billion investment manager based in Dallas.  At CSG, he was responsible for a team of professionals originating and structuring direct loans and structured financings as well as purchasing a variety of fixed income securities.  Before joining CSG Investments, Bennett was a Managing Director and Head of Fixed Income Investment Banking at Raymond James & Associates.  Having direct responsibility for all fixed income banking services, Mr. Cole oversaw the firm’s activities in asset backed securities/asset finance, structured finance, financial restructuring advisory, and direct investments.  In addition, Mr. Cole sat on several management committees at Raymond James, including the Fixed Income Commitments Committee, Fixed Income Derivatives Transactions Review Committee, and Fixed Income Management Committee. Prior to Raymond James, Mr. Cole was Managing Director and Head of the Consumer Assets Structured Finance Group at Wachovia Securities.  During his tenure at Wachovia, Mr. Cole also served as interim head of the investment bank’s Mortgage Finance Group and co-head of its Emerging Assets Structured Finance Group.  Bennett oversaw the origination, structuring, and execution of transactions utilizing asset-backed securities, commercial paper conduit, structured asset sale, and traditional bank loan/direct investment markets.  Mr. Cole was previously a Director in the Global Commercial and Investment Banking Group at Banc of America Securities, where he specialized in structured finance and asset securitization.

Bennett is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BS) and the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University (MBA).  A registered principal with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Mr. Cole holds Series 7, 63, 24, 28, and 79 registrations.

Andrew S. Cooney, Managing Director

Mr. Cooney has in excess of 20 years of financial advisory, investment banking and asset management experience.  Prior to his role at Falconbridge, Andy served as Chief Financial Officer and a Principal at Four Corners Capital Management, LLC for 8 years, until its acquisition by the Macquarie Group.  As CFO, Mr. Cooney was responsible for designing and implementing fund strategies in concert with various US and international investment clients of the firm and executed 14 different funds totaling in excess of $7 billion.  Prior to his role at Four Corners, Andy was a Managing Director at First Union Capital Markets (a predecessor to Wachovia Securities and Wells Fargo Securities), where he was responsible for the Emerging Assets Securitization Group, which focused on applying securitization techniques to new asset classes.  While at the firm, his group executed securitizations across a broad array of asset classes including tax liens, student loans, and franchise loans.  In addition, the firm became a leading investment bank in the collateralized loan obligation (“CLO”) asset class.  Prior to that, Mr. Cooney was a Director at Banc of America Securities in the asset securitization group and served as Chief Financial Officer for ProCredit, a subprime automobile finance company.  In all, Mr. Cooney has been responsible for the structuring and execution of more than $17 billion of financings and investment funds as both a banker and as a principal.

Mr. Cooney is a graduate of Washington and Lee University (BS) and the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University (MBA).

Stephen A. Geis, Managing Director

Mr. Geis is a Managing Director in FalconBridge Capital Markets’ Charlotte office.  He has 18 years of experience advising and raising capital for financial services firms.  During his tenure, Mr. Geis has assisted both major global asset backed securities issuers as well as new startups in the finance industry.  FalconBridge clients benefit from his broad range of experience in capital raising coupled with his knowledge of relevant legal, accounting and regulatory issues.  

Most recently, Mr. Geis was a Managing Director in SunTrust Robinson Humphrey's securitization practice where he lead various asset-backed transactions for firms originating commercial and consumer financial assets.  He joined SunTrust from PNC Capital Markets where he headed the Financial Services practice within PNC’s securitization group.  At PNC, Mr. Geis was responsible for all aspects of this practice including developing strategy, client origination and transaction execution.  Previously he was a Managing Partner and co-founder of i3 CAPITAL PARTNERS LLC, an alternative asset management and advisory firm focused on structured products investments.  While at i3, Stephen authored research on financial services issues and originated and executed multiple engagements advising investors and raising capital for issuers in the specialty finance arena.  From 1994 to 2002, Mr. Geis held various senior roles at Wachovia Securities where he started the quantitative analytics desk for Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) structuring and served as a portfolio manager for a $3 Billion portfolio of subordinated ABS. Prior to Wachovia Mr. Geis was a product manager at Lewtan Technologies.  

Mr. Geis earned his B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds Series 7, 63 and 79 registrations with FINRA.