Peter F. Karches, 54; Former Executive at Morgan Stanley

Peter F. Karches, 54, former president of investment banking at Morgan Stanley, died April 13 after a long battle with leukemia.

Karches, of Locust Valley, N.Y., worked at New York City-based Morgan Stanley from 1976 until 2000, according to Jeanmarie McFadden, a company spokeswoman. He was named a managing director in 1985, manager of sales and trading for mortgage-backed bonds the following year, and was appointed director of global fixed-income in 1992.

He was put in charge of Morgan Stanley’s securities division in 1997, the same year Dean Witter, Discover & Co. bought Morgan Stanley for $10.4 billion.

Born Dec. 16, 1951, Karches earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in business administration from Columbia University.