Peter Nigro, Ph.D.

Professor Nigro has a few teaching principles – no lectures, no textbooks, no raising of hands. “In my class,” he said, “we use the Wall Street Journal and it’s a dialogue. I am known as a hard teacher. You come to class prepared.”

Nigro was trained as a labor economist and got into banking by luck. Working in Washington, D.C. at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency – a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury that is responsible for regulating all national banks – Nigro became interested in credit risk and fair lending issues.

He was fascinated by how borrowers and lenders get together, and how banks view borrowers as an investment. An intellectual omnivore, Nigro is also interested in the future of community banks, the inner workings of credit scoring models, and the mortgage underwriting process.

Nigro’s work is influential – former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sat in the front row at one presentation. He is in high demand by national media for his financial market expertise, and his consulting practice is vibrant, with several start-up companies, as well as the New York Attorney General’s Office, as clients.

“I enjoy consulting,” he said. “But even more, I enjoy teaching and seeing former students coming back to campus – and learning from them.”

Most recently, Professor Nigro has been working with Department of Finance colleagues to initiate a new fixed income offering within Bryant’s successful student-run Archway Investment Fund, which has grown to $1.2 million under management.

Areas of Interest