Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Siebert Financial Corp. (Nasdaq: SIEB), today announced that Cheryl Weller-Thornton and John Gill have joined its Capital Markets Group as managing directors in the firm’s Institutional Equity Division, effective immediately.

"Cheryl Weller-Thornton and John Gill are highly experienced veterans and, through their appointments, we underscore our ongoing commitment to delivering superior customer service to our large institutional client base,” said Muriel F. "Mickie" Siebert, president, chief executive and chairwoman of Siebert Financial. "Their extensive customer relationships and knowledge of the equity markets will enable us to continue expanding while also providing the excellent service our customers have come to expect from us.”

Ms. Weller-Thornton is a seasoned capital markets professional with more than 25 years of experience. Most recently she was with Oppenheimer/ CIBC World Markets in San Francisco. Previously, she was a Managing Director with Alex Brown & Sons and Paine Webber. Ms. Weller–Thornton will provide Siebert with West Coast account coverage, while working out of the firm’s Beverly Hills office.

Mr. Gill joins the Siebert Institutional Equity Trading desk in New York. Most recently he was with Bear Stearns where he acquired more than 25 years of sector trading experience in financials, energy, telecomm, industrial and arbitrage.

Mr. Gill enhances a trading desk of veteran professionals in the Siebert Capital Markets (SCM) division, which provides high-quality brokerage services to institutional clients and investment banking services to corporations. Backed by the latest information technology and systems, its traders and investment bankers offer value-added services to some of the nation’s largest investment managers, corporations and public retirement systems.

The SCM division continued to expand its business in 2009, acting as co-manager or underwriter in more than $90 billion of global debt and equity offerings. SCM participated in debt and equity transactions for more than 30 U.S. companies in 2008, including Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley, PepsiCo, Inc., Verizon Communications, Inc., Visa Inc., Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Wells Fargo & Company. As a result of these underwritings, Siebert retail clients have access to new issue debt and equity securities including corporates, preferreds and more. On the institutional brokerage side, the trading department continues to bolster its electronic execution capabilities, resulting in a significant increase in its corporate share repurchase business.

Siebert Financial Corp. is a holding company which conducts all of its brokerage operations through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc. (Siebert). The firm became a member of the New York Stock Exchange in 1967, when Ms. Siebert became the first woman to own a seat on the Exchange. The firm is also certified as a woman-owned business enterprise ("WBE"). In 1977, she took a leave from her firm to serve for five years as the first woman Superintendent of Banking for the State of New York.

Siebert is based in New York City with additional retail branches in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Surfside and Naples, Florida; Beverly Hills, California and Jersey City, New Jersey.

Siebert does not provide legal or tax advice. Statements in this press release concerning the Company’s business outlook or future economic performance, anticipated profitability, revenues, expenses or other financial items, together with other statements that are not historical facts, are “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined under the Federal Securities Laws. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in such statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, changes in general economic and market conditions, fluctuations in volume and prices of securities, changes and prospects for changes in interest rates and demand for brokerage and investment banking services, increases in competition within and without the discount brokerage business through broader service offerings or otherwise, competition from electronic discount brokerage firms offering greater discounts on commissions than Siebert, prevalence of a flat fee environment, decline in participation in equity or municipal finance underwriting, decreased ticket volume in the discount brokerage division, limited trading opportunities, increases in expenses, changes in net capital or other regulatory requirements. As a result of these and other factors, Siebert may experience material fluctuations in its operating results on a quarterly or annual basis, which could materially and adversely affect its business, financial condition, operating results, and stock price, as well as other risks detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in “forward-looking statements” are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such “forward-looking statements,” and the Company disclaims any obligation to update the information contained herein or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to such “forward-looking statements” to reflect future events or developments. An investment in Siebert involves various risks, including those mentioned above and those, which are detailed from time to time in Siebert’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Copies of the company’s SEC filings may be obtained by contacting the company or the SEC.