NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Sep 17, 2014) - Mizuho Bank (Mizuho) (NYSE: MFG) today announced the addition of John Castanon as a Director in its Public Finance Investment Banking Group. In his new role, Mr. Castanon will help further expand Mizuho's public finance business by providing municipal credit analysis and client relationship management services. He will be based in New York and report to Bran Raskovic, Managing Director and Head of Public Finance. 

Mr. Castanon's twenty-one years of commercial banking experience have focused exclusively on covering municipal finance clients as a new business development officer, client relationship manager and credit analyst. Before joining Mizuho, he served as a Vice President in MUFG Union Bank's Public Finance Department, following nearly a decade as a Director in KBC Bank's Public Finance business. Mr. Castanon's clients included major state, regional and local governments, healthcare, public higher education, private higher education, public utilities, housing agencies, K-12 public education, transportation and special district issuers of municipal debt nationally with responsibilities in variable rate debt issuance, fixed rate debt issuance and direct funded loans. 

Andrew Dewing, Executive Officer and Head of US Corporate Finance for Mizuho, stated, "The appointment of John Castanon to our growing public finance business further strengthens the Mizuho corporate finance and investment banking platform and reinforces our continued commitment to helping clients achieve their financial objectives." 

About Mizuho Bank
Mizuho Bank provides financial and strategic solutions for the increasingly diverse and sophisticated needs of clients, focusing its efforts on serving major corporations, financial institutions, individuals, public sector entities and small and medium-sized enterprises. A relationship management approach to serving clients enables Mizuho Bank, together with group companies including Mizuho Trust & Banking and Mizuho Securities, to develop customized solutions in areas such as corporate, structured and project finance, investment banking, transaction banking, trust and custody services and risk management. With offices in 32 countries, Mizuho Bank offers clients both localized service and the extensive reach of a global business network. Mizuho Bank is a subsidiary of the Japan-based Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: MFG), one of the largest financial services companies in the world, with total assets of approximately $1.79 trillion as of June 30, 2014.