Experts Discuss U.S. Financial Crisis to Full House

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A panel of experts discussed the turmoil in the U.S. financial markets last night to a "standing room only" crowd in the Screening Room in the Center for the Arts on the University at Buffalo North (Amherst) Campus.

“The Current Financial Crisis: How did we get here? Where are we going?” was the topic, and the free event attracted more than 200 attendees, including students, faculty, staff and members of the community.

Sponsored by the University at Buffalo School of Management and the UB Law School, this was the fourth event in the annual Gerald S. Lippes Speaker Series.

Panelists included Gaurav Patankar, global sector analyst for financial institutions at Millennium Partners, subsidiary of Millennium Management; Cristian Tiu, PhD, assistant professor in the University at Buffalo School of Management’s Department of Finance and Managerial Economics; and Jill Yellock, bank examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

In his role at Millennium Partners, Patankar analyzes and provides thought leadership on the sector across multiple portfolio managers, strategies and countries. He previously worked for SuNOVA Capital and Citigroup. Prior to working on Wall Street, Patankar was employed by M&T Bank in Buffalo. He graduated in 2003 with an MBA in finance from the UB School of Management where he was an M&T Fellow.

Tiu has been a faculty member at the UB School of Management since 2006 and holds doctoral degrees in both finance and mathematics from the University of Texas. His research interests focus on performance of hedge funds and their risk management implications for investors, as well as endowment funds and continuous time finance. Tiu periodically serves as a speaker and consultant in the financial services industry and was part of the team that designed the risk management system currently used by the $20 billion University of Texas Investment and Management Co. His expertise has been widely sought after by the media in the wake of the problems on Wall Street.

As bank examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank, Yellock monitors the financial condition and risks of New York State member banks and maintains a working knowledge of financial markets, business practices, strategic risk issues, supervisory policy and banking and securities regulations and laws. She has an MBA from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University where she focused on accounting, economics, finance and international business, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama. Previously, Yellock was a revolving credit specialist with Regions Financial Services (formerly AmSouth Bank). She also worked as a professor of English for WorldTeach, an account executive for Sun Microsystems and a software specialist for IBM.

The panel discussion, moderated by Tom Disare, clinical professor in UB Law School, from 7:30-8:30 p.m., was followed by a lively question-and-answer session.

The Gerald S. Lippes Speaker Series focuses on current issues and topics related to business and finance. The series is part of a larger effort to foster an integrated understanding of the worlds of business and law, and to encourage a collaborative dialogue between business and legal professionals. Funding for the series is provided through the generous support of Gerald S. Lippes.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system that is its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.