Hilltop Securities Inc. (HTS) today announced that The Interstate Group, an institutional agency-only brokerage firm based in Charlotte, N.C., has joined HilltopSecurities. As part of the new affiliation, The Interstate Group will re-brand as The Interstate Group, A Division of HilltopSecurities, and process all transactions through HilltopSecurities.

“We believe that the addition of The Interstate Group as part of the HilltopSecurities team is mutually beneficial. We are able to provide resources and expertise to support their current business while they bring new clients and capabilities that are expected to strengthen our existing client relationships,” said HilltopSecurities Chairman and CEO Hill A. Feinberg. “We’re eager to work together to expand our respective competencies as we move forward together.”

The Interstate Group has sales offices in Atlanta, Ga., and Dallas, Texas, and performs sales, trading and administrative functions out of its location in Charlotte, N.C. The group is comprised of sales, trading, operations and administrative personnel who joined the HilltopSecurities team as part of the affiliation. In addition, The Interstate Group President Grady G. Thomas, Jr., and Chief Operating Officer Jay A. Thomas join HilltopSecurities as managing directors.

“We’re proud to be part of the HilltopSecurities family,” said Mr. Thomas, Jr. “The strengths and values of our firms complement each other, as do our clients. We look forward to pooling our resources and expertise to seek to provide our clients with a stronger suite of products and services.”

Since 1975, The Interstate Group has been at the forefront of the unbundled research model by integrating trading, sales and support services for institutional clients. This is provided through a specialized arrangement that allows the institutional investment community to obtain independent, third party research and services with commission dollars. The Interstate Group also provides commission recapture for public and private employee benefit plans.

About Hilltop Securities Inc.

Hilltop Securities Inc., a member of NYSE, FINRA and SIPC, delivers the forthright advice and tailored solutions necessary for municipal issuers, institutions, broker-dealers and individuals to thrive. The financial services firm and registered investment adviser is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with offices across the United States. Areas of focus include public finance, municipal and taxable fixed income underwriting, sales and trading; equity and portfolio trading; retail brokerage services; securities clearing; structured finance; and securities lending. A wholly owned subsidiary of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HTH), HilltopSecurities’ affiliates include Hilltop Securities Independent Network Inc., PlainsCapital Bank, PrimeLending and National Lloyds Corporation. Learn more at www.HilltopSecurities.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as required by law, we do not assume any duty to update forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning such things as our plans, objectives, strategies, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not statements of historical fact, and may be identified by words such as “believe,” “continue,” “expect,” “goal,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “seeks,” “target,” “view” or “would” or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases. For a discussion of certain factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, please see the risk factors discussed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.