Amherst hires Bear's DiMartino for MBS sales group

NEW YORK Oct 21 (Reuters) - Amherst Securities Group LP, a broker-dealer specializing in residential mortgage-backed securities and other select fixed income segments, has hired Peter DiMartino, as a salesman in its MBS division.

In his last two positions at Bear Stearns and RBS Greenwich Capital, DiMartino was managing director and asset-backed securities and mortgage strategist.

DiMartino will be based in the firm's Connecticut office. The firm also has offices in New Jersey, Virginia, Texas, Florida and Colorado and recently opened two new offices in New York City and Santa Monica, California.

As part of an ongoing expansion, the firm hired six senior-level sales and trading professionals in September.

New hires included Craig Krandel, most recently of Merrill Lynch; Felix Partow, formerly with Washington Mutual Capital Corp; Eli Goldschmiedt, previously of JPMorgan Securities; Michael Scara and Michael Scanlon, who were both from Countrywide Capital Markets; and Konrad Kothmann, previously with Bear Stearns. (Reporting by Nancy Leinfuss and Al Yoon; Editing by Leslie Adler)