Mr. Engel will have reporting responsibility for Penson Worldwide, Inc.'s international businesses including Canada, the U.K., Asia and Australia, as well as its technology subsidiary, Nexa Technologies, Inc. He will report to the firm's Chief Executive Officer, Philip A. Pendergraft.

"We are very excited to have such a strong and accomplished industry leader as Bryce joining us at Penson," said Mr. Pendergraft. "He brings with him a remarkable track record, including 12 years of service in a variety of high level leadership positions at TD Ameritrade and an impressive history of applying innovative thinking to business processes within the financial services industry. We are confident that both his proven ability to build businesses and his deep knowledge of clearing operations will prove to be major assets to Penson and our clients."

"I am honored to join Penson Worldwide," commented Engel. "I look forward to applying my experience towards furthering Penson's position as a leading provider of clearing and execution products and services around the world."

Prior to joining Penson, Mr. Engel, age 37, was a Senior Vice President with TD Ameritrade and was responsible for Retail Client Service and Support, Institutional operations and Clearing operations. Engel served in a variety of roles during his 12-year tenure at TD Ameritrade, including the leadership of call center operations and Ameritrade clearing. Throughout this time, Engel played an integral role in growing TD Ameritrade's business from a small non-public organization to one of the largest online retail trading firms in the country.

Engel served on the ATD Advisory Council and accepted the 2006 Business Progress Award from Sarpy County EDC in 2006. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Options Clearing Corporation from February of 2006 to January of 2009. In 2007, Engel was featured in the Midland Business Journal's top 40 Under 40 program.