Primary Instructor:

Jon Walls 

Jon developed his expertise in the field of bank valuation during his 8 year tenure in the Investment Banking division of Lehman Brothers where he served as a Senior Vice President in its Financial Institutions Group. He has extensive expertise in M&A as well as debt and equity financing. In addition, Jon possesses an in-depth understanding of valuing, structuring, negotiating and executing complex transactions for financial institutions.

Most recently, Jon served as Chief Investment Officer and acting Chief Financial Officer for a mid-sized California-based mortgage lender where he was responsible for managing a pool of investment funds and for the overall administration of the company’s finance and accounting operations. Jon has also taught business classes as a guest lecturer at the University of California at Irvine and recently received a Commendation from the State of California for his role as instructor of a business leadership program. 

Jon earned an MBA with an emphasis on finance from the Harvard Graduate School of Business and a JD, cum laude, with an emphasis on Taxation from Harvard Law School.

Guest Instructor:

Brad Ness 

Brad founded Choral Capital Management, LLC (CCM), a money management firm in March 2007, and serves as the company's chief executive officer and managing member. CCM is the investment manager to Choral Financial Fund, LP, a hedge fund that focuses on equity investments in the financial services sector, where Brad serves as the portfolio manager. Brad is also managing member of Choral Capital, LLC, which is the General Partner to Choral Financial Fund, LP.

Brad also works for Angkor Strategic Advisory Services, a consulting company formed to assist community banks with regulatory and strategic advice, capital raising, and M&A advisory services.

Brad has serviced the community banking sector for over 15 years, and has worked as a sell-side research analyst covering the banking sector for the past 10 years. Brad was recognized by The Wall Street Journal as the "Best (bank analyst) on the Street" during 1999 based on his ability to identify stocks that showed strong price appreciation. Additionally, Brad ranked among the top three analysts in the banking industry during 2004 according to Forbes.com/StarMine with regards to his earnings accuracy.

Brad was employed by Friedman, Billings, Ramsey, & Co., Inc. (FBR), from 2003 to 2006 and served as a Senior Vice President and senior sell-side equity research analyst covering micro-, small-, and mid-cap bank and thrift stocks. Prior to joining FBR, Brad worked in various capacities for a boutique brokerage firm, Chicago-based Howe Barnes Investments, Inc. (HBI) from 1993 to 2003. Brad worked as a sell-side equity research analyst covering bank and thrift stocks from 1997 to 2003, as an analyst/associate in HBI's investment banking department from 1994 to 1997, and, from 1993 to 1994, Brad worked with a team of financial advisors who specialized in servicing small trust departments.

Brad received his B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Indiana University in Bloomington in 1992 and obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1996. Brad grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and currently resides in Washington, DC.