RBC Dominion Securities says that Kenneth Kencel and Daniel Smith, Jr. have joined the organization to oversee its New York-based leveraged finance and asset management unit.

Kencel and Smith join DS from Indosuez Capital, the U.S. merchant banking and asset management arm of Credit Agricole Group, where they helped build Indosuez Capital’s business in leveraged acquisition financing for middle-market companies. They’ve also managed collateralized debt obligation funds, including managing leveraged loans, high-yield bonds and mezzanine investments.

“Ken and Dan have tremendous experience and stature in two areas we plan to build rapidly — leveraged finance and asset management,” said Mark Standish, managing director and head of DS’ Global Financial Products Division. “They will lead two complementary businesses that fit extremely well with RBC Dominion Securities’ existing U.S. businesses.”

Prior to joining Indosuez Capital in 1997, Kencel was responsible for starting the high-yield business at Warburg Dillon Read and was one of the founders of the high-yield business at Chase Securities. Smith joined Indosuez Capital in 1998 from Frye-Louis Capital Management, a full-service money management and investment firm.

DS is also announcing that Lee Shaiman has also joined it as a managing director and head of research and portfolio management. Shaiman has over 20 years experience in leveraged finance and fixed-income asset management. He worked with Kencel and Smith at Indosuez Capital, where he headed up the fixed-income research and portfolio management functions. Prior to joining Indosuez Capital, Shaiman was head of high-yield capital markets at UBS Warburg with Kencel.

RBC Dominion Securities, which will be renamed RBC Capital Markets on November 1, combines Canada’s leading investment dealer with the U.S. equity capital markets business of Dain Rauscher Wessels.