Fitch Expands CDO Group

Fitch Ratings has announced an expansion of its collateralized debt obligation group to provide better performance analytics and customer service.Jill Zelter, a Fitch managing director, said the new organization of the CDO group "will allow Fitch to provide comprehensive and timely surveillance, prospective opinions on future trends, and rigorous analysis and modeling in a more dynamic and robust fashion." Marion Silverman will take on the newly created role of head of performance analytics, and Hedi Katz is filling the new position of head of credit products research. In connection with these changes, John Malysa is transferring from Fitch's commercial mortgage-backed securities group -- where he led the agency's CMBS CDO ratings -- to head up the cash flow CDO team. The credit products group will now manage the rating of CMBS CDOs.