The AST Group announced today that Michael Hutto has joined American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC (AST) as Senior Vice President of Business Development. Based out of AST’s San Francisco office, Michael will lead the sales efforts on the West Coast.

AST continues to expand its presence on the West Coast and provide enhanced customer service through increased interaction with its clients. The San Francisco office is led by Josh McGinn, Senior Vice President of Relationship Management. McGinn will continue to focus on providing relationship support to clients, while working with Hutto to further develop opportunities in the region.

“We are very pleased to have Michael join the company,” said Brian Longe, President and CEO of AST. “His expertise in corporate and business development combined with his experience in the investor relations sector will be a great contribution to both our employees and client base.”

“Joining an organization with the quality and scale of AST is an exciting phase of my career,” said Hutto. “The talent at AST is unparalleled in the industry.”

Michael has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining AST, he served as Vice President of Corporate Sales for Ipreo. During his eight-year tenure there, Michael played an integral role in the growth of the company’s West Coast operation. He has also served as Regional Sales Director at Nasdaq/Reuters and as an account manager for Moody’s Investor Services.

About the AST Group

The AST Group is the leading provider of registry services and technology to financial market participants across North America. Its companies and divisions, which include American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC and CST Trust Company, provide comprehensive stock transfer and employee plan services to more than 8,000 public issues and over 5.5 million shareholders. The AST Group provides fully integrated services that include corporate proxy solicitation and advisory solutions, information agent, mutual fund proxy solicitation and advisory solutions, shareholder identification, asset recovery, and investment management offerings.