Merlin Securities, a prime brokerage services and technology provider, says it is enhancing its capital development service and has hired Patrick McCurdy to lead this effort.Merlin Securities, a prime brokerage services and technology provider, says it is enhancing its capital development service and has hired Patrick McCurdy to lead this effort.

McCurdy is formerly of Morgan Stanley and will be based in the firm's New York office.

'As our client base grows, and as the hedge fund landscape continues to shift, many of our current and prospective clients have come to us for introductions to institutional investors,' says Ron Suber, senior partner and head of global sales and marketing for Merlin Securities.

'Because of the demand that we are already seeing, and because it is such a natural fit for our business model, we are enhancing our existing effort, which will provide our hedge fund clients with greater access to capital sources including endowments, family offices, funds of funds, managed account platforms and consultants. Patrick McCurdy has established himself as a trusted advisor to a myriad of institutional investors and will be a strong addition to our team. We welcome him to Merlin and look forward to working with him.'

McCurdy was most recently a coverage officer for Morgan Stanley's capital introduction division. In that role he managed relationships for more than 150 managers and investors and developed a proprietary network of global institutions. He has helped new firms and funds develop their marketing strategies and led road-show presentations in the US and abroad.

Previously, McCurdy was part of Morgan Stanley's hedge fund client services group. In this role he worked with hedge funds across a range of sizes and strategies, analyzing performance and risk, auditing financing structures and handling custody and settlements for all types of equity, debt and derivative products.