Karen Fitzgerald

Karen Fitzgerald, Director, is a lead analyst within the U.S. Public Finance (USPF) Ratings group, focusing on tax-exempt housing and structured securities. She assigns credit ratings to the most complex debt financing transactions within this sector.As a lead analyst, Karen contributes to Standard & Poor's development of ratings opinions on affordable multifamily, military, and single-family housing through the application of the relevant criteria and participation in rating committees. Her responsibilities include developing new criteria, performing detailed credit analyses, chairing credit committees, overseeing surveillance, identifying sector and industry credit trends, publishing research reports and industry commentaries, and maintaining interaction with investors, the media, industry groups, intermediaries, and rated entities. She is also lead analyst on a number of large tender option bond (TOB) programs and chairs USPF structured finance rating committees.Karen earned a bachelor of science degree in Economics from the Wharton School and a bachelor of arts degree in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a masters of business administration degree from Yale University. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst.Karen is a member of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts, the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute, and the New York Society of Security Analysts.