Mr. Pruis leaves EquiLend, and Wall Street, to pursue the long-time goal of giving back to his alma mater, Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he will serve as Vice President of Advancement. EquiLend's Board of Directors has begun an industry search for a successor.

During Mr. Pruis' post, EquiLend has been recognized as an industry leader and remains one of the few successful financial services consortiums still in operation, run by 10 marquee financial services firms, and another to imminently be announced. Since inception, over US$2.1 trillion has been executed over the platform, EquiLend has expanded its operation into Europe, increased platform volumes by nearly 400%, extended the platform to support global Fixed Income, and has been an active contributor to industry-led initiatives, such as the much anticipated Agency Lender Disclosure project.

Pruis was appointed in April of 2002 after actively participating in the formation and development of EquiLend during the company's incubation period. Pruis moved to the position of CEO after spending nine years at Goldman Sachs.

During his tenure at Goldman Sachs, Pruis oversaw multiple technology initiatives, served as the controller of the Tokyo office, co-manager of the Partners' Capital Group, director of finance and administration in the Mexico City office, and manager of US regulatory reporting. Pruis was instrumental in EquiLend's formation and drove industry initiatives that benefited the global securities industry.

"Dirk stepped into the role of CEO during an important time in financial services," Mike Vardas, Chair of the Board of EquiLend states. "His commitment to his work, his dedication to EquiLend's mission, and his ability to lead through consensus has been critical to EquiLend's success today. He has developed a strong, capable and talented management team that shares a common vision of success. "Although we are sad to see him leave, the Board is confident that EquiLend's future is bright and will continue to evolve and establish its leading presence in the industry."

"This has been a life-long goal of mine," Dirk Pruis comments. "Being able to build and nurture something to a point that I can confidently leave in order to pursue my own personal goals brings me tremendous satisfaction. If it weren't for EquiLend's consistent success, its people, the board and its clients, this could not have been possible."

EquiLend is currently in the process of selecting a successor. "We want to see EquiLend continue to deliver services to the industry that promote efficiency, flexibility, and standardization on a global basis. EquiLend's new CEO will have the skills necessary to advance this mission. Candidates are currently being evaluated, but a decision has not been made," concludes Vardas.