Hancock Capital Management (HCM) has expanded its private-market capital solutions platform with the addition of a Leveraged Senior Credit leadership team in Chicago. Devon Russell, Joe Romic and Mike King have joined HCM and will originate, underwrite and manage the entire spectrum of senior secured credit from the Chicago office.

"We are very pleased to expand HCM's capabilities with the addition of this highly experienced team of investment professionals," said Steve Blewitt, Senior Managing Director, Hancock Capital Management. "As the markets continue to evolve, we see significant opportunity in the senior secured credit space."

HCM, which also has offices in Boston and New York, provides private-market solutions consisting of equity co-investments, senior and junior debt financing in sponsored and unsponsored transactions, and primary and secondary private equity fund investments. The firm manages these investments on a coordinated basis and with a common focus on the U.S. middle market. HCM is part of Manulife Asset Management's private equity & mezzanine platform.

Before joining HCM, Devon Russell spent more than 12 years at Madison Capital Funding LLC where he served as a leader and member of the Executive and Investment Committees and was responsible for strategic and capital market activities including loan syndications, third-party asset management, and joint ventures for the firm's mezzanine and unitranche credit products.  He also worked at Banc of America Securities, LLC where he served as a senior structurer in the Sponsor Leveraged Finance Group and a loan syndications structurer supporting the Middle Market Group and the Media/Telecommunications Group.

Joe Romic spent more than 25 years originating, underwriting, and managing senior debt, subordinated debt and minority equity investments to support private equity sponsors in their acquisitions of middle market companies prior to joining HCM. Most recently, he was with American Capital, Ltd. where he served as a Managing Director and a leader in the Sponsor Finance Group.  Before American Capital, he worked at Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Group, GE Capital and Heller Financial.

Mike King was Head of the Loan Products Group at BMO Global Asset Management where he was primarily involved in credit selection, portfolio management and fund raising for middle market leveraged loan portfolios.  Previously he worked at leading middle market debt providers, including Pangaea Asset Management (founder), GE Antares, Antares Capital, PPM America and First National Bank of Chicago.

Hancock Capital Management (HCM) was formed in 2000 to manage the private markets solutions businesses on behalf of John Hancock and Manulife and their third-party clients, which include insurance companies, pension funds, endowments, and family offices.