Mark Ellis Joins First Albany Capital as a Senior Vice President of Public Finance

First Albany Capital Inc., the broker/dealer subsidiary of First Albany Companies Inc. (NASDAQ: FACT), announced that Mark Ellis has joined the Public Finance Division as a Senior Vice President. Mark will be in charge of the firm’s Houston office and have responsibility for the firm’s client relationships primarily in the metropolitan area. "He brings private sector expertise as well as a distinguished career of public service throughout the State of Texas,” said Kenneth D. Gibbs, Executive Managing Director of Municipal Capital Markets. "He will be an excellent compliment to those already working in the Texas market.” Mark Ellis, CFP, is Co-founder of Ellis-Reisbord Financial Group, LLC a financial services firm and is a former three term Houston City Council Member. He served six years on the City’s Fiscal Affairs Committee, two of those as Chairman. In 2004, when the City of Houston’s pension funds were failing, Ellis was called on by Mayor White to chair the newly created Pension Review Committee. During this same time period, Governor Perry appointed him to serve on the Texas Public Finance Authority. Also noteworthy, Ellis was chosen by his peers to serve on The Houston - Galveston Area Council, where he served two years on the Finance Committee. He is a native Texan and earned a Bachelor of Science from The University of Houston. ABOUT FIRST ALBANY First Albany Companies Inc. (NASDAQ: FACT) is an independent investment bank that serves the institutional market, state and local governments, and the growing corporate middle market by providing clients with strategic, research-based investment opportunities, as well as advisory and financing services. First Albany offers a diverse range of products through its Equities and Municipal Capital Markets divisions, as well as through Descap Securities Inc., its MBS/ABS trading subsidiary, and FA Technology Ventures Inc., its venture capital division. First Albany maintains offices in major business and commercial markets.