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James H. Gellert is chairman and CEO of Rapid Ratings International, a financial services company that uses a proprietary quantitative system to rate the financial health of corporations and financial institutions.[1]
In February of 2007, Gellert led an effort to acquire Rapid Ratings from a corporate owner in Australia. The company was then relocated to New York. [2]
Background[edit]
In 2004, Gellert co-founded and worked as managing partner of Howland Partners, an investment banking advisory firm. In 2006, Howland Partners acquired a broker-dealer and renamed the firm Howland Securities. Gellert worked as CEO of Howland Securities until 2010, when the company was sold and renamed.
Earlier in his career, Gellert worked for several financial institutions, including Deutsche Bank Securities, UBS, and Barclays.
MarketsWiki Education, New York, 2015[edit]
James Gellert, Rapid Ratings International - Connecting the Dots and Innovating Ratings
"While you are completing your internships, it is important to think about where you want to be, but you cannot over-prescribe it. You may need to take a circuitous path to get where you need to be."
James Gellert is a former banker and technology entrepreneur who now runs an entrepreneurial financial technology firm, Rapid Ratings, which uses a proprietary quantitative system to evaluate the financial health of companies. In this MarketsWiki Education talk, Gellert tells the story of his first internship, where he was paid to kick one of the most powerful men on Wall St. to keep him awake during meetings. He then compares his firm to the traditional rating agencies and the difference between a "user pays" model versus an "issuer pays" model.
John Lothian News Interviews[edit]
Ratings: How Does Your Broker Rate?
If you knew the financial health of your futures broker, would that help you decide which firm to work with? James Gellert, President and CEO of Rapid Ratings, says futures broker ratings could make for more informed retail and professional investors. Gellert explains how ratings of public brokers and voluntary ratings of private brokers would provide transparency for the FCM community and its customers. Rapid Ratings uses dozens of financial ratios, based on audited financial reports, to provide a score for each firm.
In this video, a simple animation and interview with Gellert help explain broker ratings. Published Dec. 17, 2012.[3] Visit the Restoring Customer Confidence video series page >
James Gellert of Rapid Ratings International Discusses MF Global & Credit Ratings Regulation
James Gellert is Chairman and CEO of Rapid Ratings International, a financial services company that uses a proprietary quantitative system to rate the financial health of corporations and financial institutions. The company’s user-based compensation model offers an alternative to the “company pays” model used by NRSROs such as Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings. Gellert spoke with former John Lothian News Editor-at-Large Doug Ashburn about Rapid Ratings’ “user-pays” model, its early warning on MF Global, and credit ratings regulation under Dodd-Frank. Published June 20, 2012. [4]
Education[edit]
Gellert holds a BA in Asian Studies from Connecticut College. He also studied at Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan.
References[edit]
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