BMO Nesbitt Burns has hired Timothy Meyer as managing director of Mezzanine and Equity Private Placements.

Based in New York, Meyer will continue to expand the firm’s private placements and full capital structure financing capability. He reports to Jim Moglia, head of U.S. Debt Capital Markets and Origination.

Meyer has over 12 years of extensive experience in private placements. He began his career as a specialist at SPP Hambro, and most recently he established and headed the mezzanine and private equity group at ING Barings from August 1997 until May 2001.

In addition to Meyer, BMO Nesbitt Burns also announced the hiring of Anne Peterson as associate, New York Debt Capital Markets; and Ryan Boyle as an analyst in the firm’s Debt Capital Markets Chicago office. Peterson, formerly of Bear Stearns, and Boyle, formerly of LaSalle Bank, will focus on high yield financings, private placements and restructurings.

“High yield finance, private placements and restructurings are important components of our strategy to provide full-service debt capability to our client base in good markets and in bad,” said Moglia. “In addition, the firm’s expanded focus in mezzanine and private equity will deliver the required subordinated capital and the one-stop engineered, fully-financed solutions that are required in today’s marketplace.

“Financing middle market acquisitions is becoming increasingly complex,” said Moglia. “At a time when our competitors are retrenching, we see a tremendous opportunity for a capable firm like ours to fill the liquidity void that exists in today’s financing markets and provide needed access to capital for significant sectors including telecom.”

In 2000, the firm helped raise over $22.5 billion through 123 equity and debt capital markets transactions and advised in over 35 mergers and acquisitions. The firm has the leading market share in Canadian-based financial restructurings and its newly reorganized high yield financing effort based in New York has already participated in 20 high yield financings,raising $10 billion in 2001.