NEW YORK, Aug 02, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC ("AST") announced today the
acquisition of Phoenix Advisory Partners, LLC ("Phoenix") as a
wholly-owned subsidiary within The Link Group network of companies. Led
by industry stalwart and president, John Siemann, Phoenix is comprised
of an experienced team dedicated to corporate governance advisory and
proxy solicitation services.

"Our focus is to be the premier provider of proxy solicitation and
corporate governance advisory services in the industry -- period," said
Siemann. "This proxy team has developed a new metric for proxy
solicitation, combining year-round consulting and advisory services with
highly focused, hands-on solicitation."

In addition to offering this suite of services to all of AST's current
transfer agent clients in the United States, Phoenix will also provide
the same unparalleled services to the Canadian market, through the
recently signed agreement for Pacific Equity Partners ("PEP") to
purchase CIBC Mellon Trust Company's Issuer Services business.

"To have John and this team of professionals join us now equates to
perfect timing as the industry begins to deal with dramatic changes in
the proxy and governance worlds," said Mark C. Healy, president and
chief executive officer of AST. "This directly complements our focus on
delivery of total equity services solutions to our clients."

"Today, more than ever, corporate issuers need a proxy solicitor who can
be a year-round advisor, providing timely and insightful information,
and an agent with the necessary resources to ensure the successful
implementation of solicitation strategies," said Siemann. "I believe
that AST is uniquely positioned to be the dominant player in this
industry. Once I met with AST's senior managers, I was sold on coming on
board and being a part of this comprehensive approach to the industry."

About Phoenix Advisory Partners, LLC

Phoenix Advisory Partners is a leading provider of proxy solicitation
and corporate governance advisory services. The team at Phoenix has over
30 years of experience in the business, including tenure in senior roles
at Georgeson/Computershare and the Laurel Hill Advisory Group and
serviced more than 100 corporate clients, including Fortune 100
companies.

About AST

American Stock Transfer & Trust Company provides comprehensive stock
transfer and employee plan services to over 2,800 public companies and
maintains approximately 6,000 issues. AST's clients are located
throughout the United States and in over 22 foreign countries, ranging
in size from initial public offerings to Fortune 100 companies. Founded
in 1971 and headquartered in New York, AST provides clients with
customized solutions along with access to the best systems, services,
processes and products available today -- around the globe.

About PEP

Pacific Equity Partners is the most active private equity fund in
Australia and New Zealand, providing strategic management experience and
capital resources to grow companies in a range of business situations.
PEP Fund IV is the largest private equity fund in Australia and the firm
has over $5 billion of equity funds under management. Since its
establishment in 1998, PEP has made 18 portfolio company acquisitions
and more than 20 add-on acquisitions at the company level.

Detailed information about PEP can be found at www.pep.com.au.

About Link Market Services

Link Market Services Limited is a leading premium provider of registry
services and technology to financial market participants in Australia.
PEP's most substantial portfolio company, Link manages approximately ten
million holder records, maintains the registers of over 1,000 securities
and provides services to over 90 of the S&P/ASX Top 100. Link services
its clients seamlessly across Australia, New Zealand, India and South
Africa from its offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Auckland,
Mumbai, Port Moresby and Johannesburg.

More information about Link is available at www.linkmarketservices.com.au

SOURCE: American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC