Jim Regan joins Austin, Texas-based Amherst Securities Group as head of asset-backed securities (ABS) trading. Regan joins the residential mortgage-backed securities broker-dealer after most recently serving as the head of ABS trading at Cohen and Company. Prior to that, he was head of structured trading at ABN AMRO and as a senior trader on the ABS desk at Credit Suisse and as a senior ABS trader at Prudential Securities. Regan brings 19 years of experience to Amherst, where he will operate out of the company’s New York City office, spearheading the company’s efforts in dealing in traditional consumer-related ABS products and further developing its expertise in distressed ABS markets, such as lease-backed ABS, aircraft and insurance products. “Jim has become one of the most well respected traders in the industry, and his addition will make Amherst an even stronger broker-dealer,” Amherst CEO Sean Dobson said in a statement. “We see the expansion of our ABS trading efforts as an important part of our growth, and Jim’s broad knowledge of various ABS product lines fits perfectly with our existing account base and overall mortgage expertise.” Write to Austin Kilgore.