Santander to buy Amherst in US fixed-income push

Bloomberg

Banco Santander SA’s US unit agreed to buy Amherst Pierpont Securities in a deal that gives Spain’s biggest bank a greater presence in the fixed-income trading business that’s been a boon to Wall Street
rivals over the past year.
Santander Holdings USA is acquiring the independent broker-dealer through a $600 million takeover of its parent company, Pierpont Capital Holdings LLC, according to a statement. Amherst Pierpont was designated a primary dealer of US Treasuries by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 2019, and is one of only three non-banks with that designation.
The move pushes Santander further into the American market, while Spanish rival Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA agreed last year to sell its US business to PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Santander also increased its stake in its US
consumer business last year.
A surge in fixed-income trading over the past year has helped large US banks weather the pandemic.
New York-based Amherst Pierpont, which has offices in Hong Kong, Chicago, San Francisco and Austin, Texas, has about 230 employees serving more than 1,300 institutional clients.
“This acquisition is consistent with our customer-focused strategy and our commitment to profitable growth in the USA,” Ana Botin, executive chairman of Santander Group, said in the statement. “It complements our product offerings and capabilities, allowing us to strengthen our relationships with our corporate and institutional clients.”