1203binfranco1Director, Public Finance, Standard & Poor’s

Stephen joined Standard & Poor’s Public Finance Group in 1995. Based in New York City, Stephen covers the primary market in both the healthcare and higher education sectors. While Stephen actively participates in both sectors, his primary focus is healthcare, as he continues to rate acute care hospitals, health systems, and senior living credits throughout the United States. As part of his core responsibilities as a senior analyst, Stephen is designated as the rating committee chairperson on many healthcare, senior living and higher education credits, and also takes a lead role as head of the senior living sector . Stephen participates in Standard & Poor’s teleconferences on the healthcare and senior living sectors, attends industry conferences and contributes to various group commentary reports. Stephen holds an M.B.A. and B.S. in Finance from St. John’s University, New York. Additionally, he is a member of the Municipal Analysts Group of New York (MAGNY), the National Federation of Municipal Analysts (NFMA) and the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HMFA).