Title: Director
Firm: Assured Guaranty
Age: 35
The challenge of covering healthcare and higher education credits has never scared Matthew Shapiro.
"I like rolling my sleeves up, looking at the numbers, figuring out the story in my head, as I'm reading everything," he said.
Shapiro started at Assured Guaranty out of college. He left after five years and worked at IHS Markit and Fitch Ratings before returning to Assured. Over the last four years he has served as a lead surveillance analyst covering healthcare and higher education credits within Assured's municipal portfolio.
"Whatever company I've worked for, I've always tried to represent them," he said. "I take a lot of pride, not just representing Assured, but representing myself, too."
"Matt's key strengths include his ability to present both quantitative and qualitative credit factors clearly and concisely, and to effectively convey requisite action steps for credits within Assured Guaranty's healthcare and higher education portfolio," said Victor Chu, managing director at Assured Guaranty.
"Matt has become a seasoned and well-respected credit/risk management analyst," he continued. "He has shown tremendous dedication and a strong work ethic, and we believe he is not only a rising star in our company but also in the municipal finance industry."
Shapiro said his work at Assured — covering healthcare and higher education credits — is more challenging this time around due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His work, he said, requires a lot of diligence and knowledge, and he's proud of how he's handled these credits.
He also prides himself on his mentorship of junior analysts.
"I've gained more perspective over the last 14 years and consider how much I relied on senior people to help me get where I am," he said. "I try to give that back where I can."
Shapiro has his bachelor's degree from St. John's University's Tobin College of Business and an MBA in finance from Wagner College's Nicolais School of Business.
In his spare time, he enjoys participating in charitable races to support his local community. Shapiro lives in Oradell, New Jersey, with his wife, Nicole, and two children: Justin and Alex.
