Morris W. Offit

Morris Wolf Offit is an American financier and philanthropist. He founded Offitbank, a private wealth management firm that merged with Wachovia in 1999, and later worked in senior roles at Salomon Brothers, Julius Baer, and AIG. An alumnus of Johns Hopkins University, Offit led the university's successful 1980s capital campaign and chaired the board of trustees from 1990 to 1996. At the conclusion of his tenure as chairman of the board, Johns Hopkins awarded Offit an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. He is the namesake of Johns Hopkins' Bernstein-Offit Building, as well as the Morris W. Offit Chair in International Finance in the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.

Early life and education Offit is the son of Michael Offit and Rhea Offit (née Wolf). He received a Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins University in 1957.

Career Early career

Offit began his career in 1960 in investment research at Mercantile Safe Deposit and Trust Company in Baltimore.

From 1980 to 1982, he was President of Julius Baer Securities Inc.

In 1983, Offit founded Offit Associates Inc., an investment advisory firm in Manhattan, and that same year was an adjunct professor of finance at Columbia Business School, lecturing on the secondary capital markets. In 1999, OFFITBANK was acquired by Wachovia Bank. but departed in 2002 in opposition to First Union's takeover bid for Wachovia.

Offit Hall Capital Management and Offit Capital Advisors

In early 2002, Offit collaborated with San Francisco-based wealth management firm Laurel Management to form Offit Hall Capital Management LLC, with Offit as co-chief executive officer. Offit is the firm's chairman and managing member; his son Ned S. Offit is chief executive officer.

Civic roles

Offit has had extensive philanthropic involvement with Johns Hopkins University. During the 1980s he chaired the Campaign for Johns Hopkins. In 1996, upon stepping down as board chairman, he received an honorary doctorate from the university. Offit is also credited with helping to spur significant donations to Johns Hopkins by fellow alumnus Michael Bloomberg. was president and chairman of UJA-Federation of New York from 2001 to 2007.