Founded in 1995, Alden Investment Group is an independent financial services firm consisting of a broker/dealer, J. Alden Associates, and two SEC registered investment advisors, Alden Investment Advisors and Alden Capital Management. Alden offers a diverse menu of services, including individual private wealth advisory services, asset management strategies and funds, research, investment banking, retirement plans, private placements, trading services and other RIA/BD offerings.  

By combining the resources of wholly owned investment advisor and broker/dealer entities, Alden has a large degree of control and flexibility around its businesses. In addition, the firm’s independence allows it to utilize a wide range of products not available at many larger investment firms to help clients achieve their financial goals. Technology is changing the way both people and companies invest, manage assets, borrow money and raise capital in the ever-evolving regulatory landscape. Alden focuses on helping clients achieve strong results utilizing its professionals’ many decades of experience and expertise to navigate the investment universe and seek the best investment choices available.  

Alden has a deep fundamental understanding of the characteristics and needs of financial institutions, in particular, banks and credit unions. Alden’s founders have financial institution-related backgrounds, and the firm has over 20 dedicated professionals in its Financial Institutions Group who collectively work with a large number and variety of financial institutions in the areas of benefits consulting, asset management, research and capital funding. Alden has historically offered solutions helping with fee income generation, investment, hedging and other strategies. These solutions are designed to increase interest income in financial institutions securities’ portfolios, generate non-interest income and enhance regulatory compliance with community reinvestment act and other statutes. Alden has capital raising capabilities focused on capital introductions for equity and subordinated debt raises, and has provided Equity Research coverage and introductions to buy-side financial institution focused investors. 

Equalize Capital, an Alden affiliate, offers unique funds and investment strategies designed around the needs of financial institutions offering strong yields and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) benefits. Equalize Capital is an SEC registered asset management company with investment strategies serving banks, credit unions, Environmental, Social, Corporate Governance (ESG) investors and others. Our mission is to create and manage funds and strategies that provide investments to underserved and underbanked small businesses and persons that benefit the well-being of local communities. We establish and manage funds and strategies that lend to deserving borrowers, including Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, mortgage loans to minority and low-income individuals and loans that are tied to U.S. Government lending and investment programs that promote community development, green power and sustainable investment. 

One of Equalize’s funds focuses on SBA 504 first lien loans, USDA energy infrastructure loans and Bureau of Indian Affairs loans, all of which have attractive yields, solid credit quality and the ability to pass along both lending and investment CRA test credit. The other Equalize fund was designed for financial institutions and focuses on the origination and purchase of residential mortgage loans to deserving underbanked minority and low-income borrowers who cannot qualify for traditional agency mortgages and utilize an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) to pay taxes and qualify for mortgages. Equalize is also developing separate account bank owned life insurance (BOLI) offerings with leading insurance carriers that seek to offer high after-tax yields with investments tailored around the benefits and features of the assets purchased by Equalize’s stand-alone fund products.