Piper Jaffray, a United States investment firm and, Excellence Nessuah, a leading investment bank, signed an agreement for a strategic alliance. Together, the two companies provide investment banking and trading services in Israel and in the United States.

 Piper Jaffray is a subsidiary of , a leading United States bank with $76 billion in assets and more than 1,000 banking offices in 17 states. In 1998, the firm's investment bankers completed 119 transactions, with an aggregate transaction value of $10.37 billion.

The agreement makes Excellence Nessuah the exclusive local representative of the capital markets group of  Piper Jaffray. The companies also open a joint institutional sales operation in New York under the name of  Excellence Nessuah. The sales operation will be a division of  Investment, Inc., another broker-dealer subsidiary of . This agreement creates an alliance of companies who have specialties in technology and healthcare investment banking in the United States and Israel respectively.

 Piper Jaffray offers Excellence Nessuah high quality institutional research from its 65 equity research analysts and 95 investment bankers, including 18 senior research analysts and 44 investment bankers in healthcare and technology. The firm also brings Excellence Nessuah strong institutional sales and distribution capabilities.
Excellence Nessuah offers  Piper Jaffray a unique combination of high level financial research and broad ties with Israeli investment banking clients. The company will provide  Piper Jaffray business development opportunities and marketing expertise for the investment banking efforts of the firm.

Excellence Nessuah Limited is a leading Israeli investment bank offering financial services including brokerage, investment banking, portfolio management, trust fund management, underwriting and venture capital management services. Excellence Nessuah is a publicly traded company on the Tel Aviv stock exchange.

 Piper Jaffray, a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based , provides a full range of investment products and services to businesses, institutions and individuals. The company's investment banking business has grown exceptionally in the last several years by focusing on the needs of growth companies in the healthcare, technology, financial institutions, consumer and industrial growth sectors.
 Piper Jaffray has a national reputation for its expertise in fundamental research and equity and debt financing.  offers a comprehensive range of financial solutions through U.S. Bank, First American Asset Management, U.S, Bancorp Libra Investments and  Piper Jaffray.

Web sites at http://www.piperjaffray.com/