Financial analyst Meredith Whitney to speak at Purdue on Nov. 14

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Meredith Whitney, a financial analyst widely acknowledged for her work and identification of issues surrounding the mortgage and credit issues that hobbled the economy, will speak Nov. 14 at Purdue University.

"Conversation with Meredith Whitney" is free and open to the public and will begin at 7 p.m. in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall. The event is presented by Purdue University with support from Purdue Convocations.

For the event, Whitney will be interviewed about her national attention-getting predictions on housing prices, the mortgage industry and the recent financial crisis, as well as her perspectives on factors that will influence the country's economy in the years ahead. There also will be an opportunity for Whitney to address questions from the audience.

The founder and CEO of Meredith Whitney Advisory Group, an independent financial services advisory firm based in New York City, Whitney also is author of the book "Fate of the States: The New Geography of American Prosperity." She is a frequent contributor to CNBC, Fox Business and Bloomberg news programs.

Whitney in 2006 presented to the FDIC on risks in the sub-prime market and in 2007 made a dire projection that Citibank was undercapitalized and would have to cut its dividends or sell assets to raise capital. That projection set off a one-day $400 billion drop in the markets, according to Whitney's website, and helped firmly establish her as a powerful voice in the financial industry.

She has now focused on the U.S. recovery and is using her expertise to "identify what she believes will be the next American super-cycle of economic growth and investment opportunity."

Whitney was previously a managing director and senior financial institutions analyst for Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. A graduate with honors from Brown University, she was selected as one of the 50 most powerful women by Fortune and by Time as one of the 100 most influential people.