SWS Group Endows Scholarships at Universities in Dallas, Chicago and Irvine

DALLAS, Feb. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its 40^th Anniversary celebration, SWS Group, Inc. (NYSE: SWS) ("the Company") has endowed scholarships at the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine, the College of Business Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Naveen Jindal School of Management at the University of Texas at Dallas.

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By partnering with universities located in three of the Company's largest market areas, SWS Group hopes to increase educational opportunities for business students who aspire to work in the financial services industry or related fields.

"There is no better way to honor our past than by investing in the education of the men and women who will be the future leaders of our industry," said James H. Ross, Chief Executive Officer of SWS Group, Inc. "SWS Group was established in 1972 and continues to thrive four decades later because of the talented people who have served our shareholders and clients over the years. We are proud to build on this legacy by supporting the business students at these universities in three of our major markets and we hope to expand this outreach in the years ahead."

Each $25,000 endowment will provide a $1,000 annual scholarship in perpetuity to be awarded by each university to a returning full-time junior- or senior-level student enrolled in the college of business. Recipients of the scholarships will be chosen by the universities' award committees.

Representatives from SWS Group's principal broker-dealer subsidiary, Southwest Securities, Inc., will serve as ambassadors to each school in order to coordinate and build the Company's relationship with the universities and the broader communities they serve.

Executive Vice Presidents Miles Benickes and Michael Urman of Southwest Securities' Private Client Group in Beverly Hills presented the endowment to the University of California Irvine in an Oct. 23, 2012, ceremony.

SWS Group President and Chief Executive Officer James H. Ross presented the endowment to the University of Texas at Dallas at the school's annual scholarship breakfast on Nov. 8, 2012.

The University of Illinois at Chicago endowment was presented on Dec. 5, 2012, by Executive Vice President Pat Price of Southwest Securities' Taxable Fixed Income office in Chicago.

SWS Group, Inc. subsidiaries include Southwest Securities, Inc., a national clearing firm, registered investment adviser and registered broker-dealer; SWS Financial Services, Inc., a registered investment adviser and a registered broker-dealer serving independent securities brokers and their clients; and Southwest Securities, FSB, one of the largest banks headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

SOURCE SWS Group, Inc.