Empire Financial Holdings' Jesup and Lamont Subsidiary Announces New Head of Institutional Sales at Jesup & Lamont Securities

LONGWOOD, Fla., May 14  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Empire Financial Holding Company (AMEX:EFH), which in November 2006 acquired Jesup & Lamont Securities, announces that Bob Duffy has joined Jesup & Lamont as the head of institutional sales.  Bob previously held positions as head of institutional sales at Ryan Beck, South East Research Partners, and for over 23 years Bob worked in institutional sales at CJ Lawrence, Furman Selz and Buckingham Research.

Stephen DeGroat, Chairman of Jesup and Lamont, stated, "We are pleased to have someone of Bob's caliber and experience heading institutional sales for our team.  We look forward to his expertise contributing to the continuous growth of Jesup and Empire Financial."

About Empire Financial Holding Company

Empire Financial Holding Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Empire Financial Group, Inc. and Jesup & Lamont, provides full-service retail brokerage services through its network of independently owned and independently operated offices.  Through its market-making and trading division, the Company offers securities order execution services for unaffiliated broker dealers and makes markets in domestic and international securities.  Empire Financial also provides Investment Banking services for clients as well as turn-key fee based investment advisory and registered advisor custodial services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Empire Investment Advisors, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risk, uncertainties or other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.  Factors that might cause such a difference include, without limitation, fluctuations in the volume of transactional services provided by the Company, competition with respect to financial services commission rates, the effect of general economic and market conditions, factors affecting the securities brokerage industry as well as other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. 

DATASOURCE: Empire Financial Holding Company



CONTACT:  Donald A. Wojnowski, Jr., President of Empire Financial Holding

Company, [phone], ext. 1141, or fax, [phone],

Copyright