Stephen B. Paras, CFA

Stephen Paras benefits from over 35 years of leadership experience in Private Credit, Leveraged Finance, and Investment Banking across multiple cycles. He has been with Star Mountain for over 8 years with a primary focus on reinforcing credit underwriting discipline and portfolio construction best practices. Mr. Paras is a Member of Star Mountain’s Executive Committee, Investment Committee, Operating Committee and Risk Committee.

Mr. Paras was formerly Managing Director and Head of U.S. Leveraged Loan Capital Markets at Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc in New York and Managing Director and Head of European Leveraged Loan Capital Markets at BAML in London, respectively where he structured, underwrote and managed syndications of over $50 billion in event driven financings for financial sponsors and corporates.

Mr. Paras was a senior member of Merrill Lynch’s and BAML’s Leveraged Finance Commitment Committees responsible for leveraged loan underwriting and principal commitments of leveraged finance capital. Mr. Paras was a member of Merrill Lynch’s Mezzanine Investment Committee responsible for reviewing investment decisions and managing portfolio risk of a Merrill Lynch-sponsored Mezzanine Debt Fund. In addition, Mr. Paras was a member of Merrill Lynch’s Managing Director Nomination Committee and Merrill Lynch’s Leveraged Finance Operating Committee.

Prior to his distinguished 16-year career at Merrill Lynch and successor firm, BAML, Mr. Paras spent six years at Chemical Bank, predecessor bank to JP Morgan Chase, where he was a Vice President and core member of the firm’s leveraged buyout and syndicated finance group.

Mr. Paras began his banking career at Chase Manhattan Bank. He holds an MBA in Finance from University of Rochester and a BA in Economics from Hobart College. He is a CFA Charterholder and holds FINRA Series 7, 24 and 63 licenses.