Costa Mesa, Calif. - January 30, 2006, Michael Matt, vice president for RSM EquiCo Capital Markets, recently judged Pepperdine University's internal investment banking case study competition.

The preliminary competition, held January 17, 2006, determined which of Pepperdine's 10 competing MBA student teams would represent the university at the inaugural "ACG LA CUP" finals this February.

A Pepperdine alumnus with extensive experience in the merger and acquisition field, Matt was one of only five senior investment banking and private equity professionals in California selected to sit on the judging panel.

"Participation presented not only an opportunity to network and interact with other panel members, but also to expose RSM EquiCo to current and future industry leaders," said Matt.

The competition was created by the Los Angeles chapter of the Association for Capital Growth (ACG), a global association for professionals involved in corporate growth, corporate development, and mergers and acquisitions for midsized and large companies. It was designed to provide business school students with a simulated real-world investment banking scenario that reflected realistic banking challenges.

The case study was developed by investment banking firm Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin to assess the correct use of the students' valuation methodologies, including market comparables and cash-flow analysis.

Pepperdine's MBA students were evaluated on their ability to demonstrate competency in three particular areas: analytical skill; presentation skill; and recommendations to the "phantom board" (i.e. judges' panel).

"There were no right or wrong answers in this competition," said Matt. "Ultimately, we were looking for the team that would best represent Pepperdine -- a team that demonstrated a command of valuation methodology."

Matt said communication skills were key to winning the competition. "Anyone can create a great analysis, but if they are unable to communicate that information, then it's not an effective tool," Matt continued.

Matt met with all the participants following competition to offer feedback regarding what worked and what was lacking in the presentations. He said he hoped his observations encouraged students to participate in next year's competition and highlighted areas the winners could improve prior to competing in the ACG LA CUP finals.

In addition to moving on to compete against students from University of California-Los Angeles and University of Southern California for cash prizes valued between $4000 and $10,000, Pepperdine's winning MBA team received a trip to visit some of New York's most notable Wall Street investment banking firms, including J.P. Morgan and Merrill Lynch.

CONTACT:
RSM EquiCo Inc.
Todd Cooley, Director of Communications
714.327.8865
tcooley@rsmequico.com