13th Annual Ziegler Senior Living Finance + Strategy Conference

CHICAGO, IL–(Marketwire – October 13, 2010) –  Ziegler (PINKSHEETS: ZGCO) kicked off its 13^th annual Ziegler Senior Living Finance + Strategy Conference at The Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida on Wednesday, September 29, 2010.

The three-day, invitation-only educational conference attracted over 500 attendees and presented cutting-edge finance and strategic positioning trends and issues in senior living and the senior living capital markets. Tom Paprocki, President and CEO of The Ziegler Companies, welcomed the senior living providers, institutional investors, and other industry professionals and introduced the conference facilitator, Dan Hermann, Senior Managing Director & Head of Ziegler Senior Living Finance.

The Ziegler banking team conducted pre-conference workshops allowing attendees to enhance their knowledge of the senior living sector. Such workshops included “Senior Living Finance 101,” “Financial Risk Management 101,” a legal roundtable and a senior living-focused board development workshop. The Ziegler CFO Workshop Series(SM) provided CFOs a roundtable and networking session. All workshops were well attended and provided a general overview of the vast capabilities Ziegler offers.

The opening general session led by a team of capital markets experts laid the foundation for the conference curriculum. The session was a tightly narrated review of the trends unfolding across the senior living continuum and current capital markets investors’ and lenders’ landscapes. Mr. Hermann and Kathryn Brod, Ziegler’s Senior Vice President-Research, and Mike McDaniel, Ziegler’s Senior Managing Director of Sales & Trading, reviewed key trends; Ron Mintz (Vanguard) and Jim LeBuhn (FitchRatings) provided perspectives from the investor and rating agency, respectively. Each educational session of the conference was introduced, tying each to the trends and setting the context for the conference curriculum that would follow.

An array of breakout sessions was offered to attendees. Some hot topics of the conference included case studies of creative solutions for overcoming housing market challenges; key marketing tools for invigorating occupancy; case studies of providers offering services beyond their boundaries; wellness initiatives; and the impact of healthcare reform on the sector. Sessions also included discussions in trends focusing on repositionings and new campus development. Institutional investor, banking, and architects’ panels were also featured. Educational sessions were offered in areas such as investment policymaking, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate structure. All sessions were lead by industry leaders, key associates from senior living providers and Ziegler team experts.

The conference concluded with a panel discussing senior living today, tomorrow and scenarios of the future. For further information on Ziegler or the conference, please visit our website at www.zieglerseniorlivingfinance.com.

About Ziegler:
The Ziegler Companies, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: ZGCO) together with its affiliates (Ziegler) is a specialty investment bank with unique expertise in complex credit structures and advisory services. Nationally, Ziegler is ranked as one of the leading investment banking firms in its specialty sectors of healthcare, senior living, religion and education finance, as well as corporate finance and FHA/HUD. Headquartered in Chicago, IL with regional and branch offices throughout the U.S., Ziegler creates tailored financial solutions including bond financing, advisory, private placement, seed capital, M&A, risk and asset management. Ziegler serves institutional and individual investors through its wealth management and capital markets distribution channels.

Certain comments in this news release represent forward-looking statements made pursuant to the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, in particular, the overall financial health of the securities industry, the strength of the healthcare sector of the U.S. economy and the municipal securities marketplace, the ability of the Company to underwrite and distribute securities, the market value of mutual fund portfolios and separate account portfolios advised by the Company, the volume of sales by its retail brokers, the outcome of pending litigation, and the ability to attract and retain qualified employees.