S-8

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 14, 2011

Registration No. 333-            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

The First Marblehead Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	04-3295311
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or	(I.R.S. Employer
organization)	Identification No.)
The Prudential Tower
800 Boylston Street, 34th Floor
Boston, Massachusetts	02199-8157
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)	(Zip Code)

2011 Stock Incentive Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Gregory M. Woods

General Counsel

The First Marblehead Corporation

The Prudential Tower

800 Boylston Street, 34th Floor

Boston, Massachusetts 02199-8157

(Name and address of agent for service)

(800) 895-4283

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer	¨	Accelerated filer	x
Non-accelerated filer	¨  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)	Smaller reporting company	¨

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of securities to be registered	Amount to be registered(1)	Proposed maximum offering price per share	Proposed maximum aggregate offering price	Amount of registration fee
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share	11,406,698 shares	$0.86(2)	$9,809,760.28(2)	$1,124.20

(1) In accordance with Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement shall be deemed to cover any additional securities that may from time to time be offered or issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, reverse stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations or similar transactions.

(2) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rules 457(c) and 457(h) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and based upon the average of the high and low prices of the Registrant’s Common Stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on November 10, 2011.

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

Item 1. Plan Information.

The information required by Item 1 is included in documents sent or given to participants in the plan covered by this registration statement pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

Item 2. Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information.

The written statement required by Item 2 is included in documents sent or given to participants in the plan covered by this registration statement pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The registrant is subject to the informational and reporting requirements of Sections 13(a), 14, and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and in accordance therewith files reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”). The following documents, which are on file with the Commission, are incorporated in this registration statement by reference:

(a) The registrant’s latest annual report filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or the latest prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act that contains audited financial statements for the registrant’s latest fiscal year for which such statements have been filed.

(b) All other reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act since the end of the fiscal year covered by the document referred to in (a) above.

(c) The description of the securities contained in the registrant’s registration statement on Form 8-A filed under the Exchange Act, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

All documents subsequently filed by the registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be part hereof from the date of the filing of such documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for the purposes of this registration statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this registration statement.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

- 1 -

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP has opined as to the legality of the securities being offered by this registration statement.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Article SEVENTH of the registrant’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended to date (the “Charter”), provides that no director of the registrant shall be personally liable to the registrant or its stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, notwithstanding any provision of law imposing such liability, except to the extent that the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware prohibits the elimination or limitation of liability of directors for breaches of fiduciary duty.

Article EIGHTH of the registrant’s Charter provides that the registrant will indemnify each person who was or is a party or threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (other than an action by or in the right of the registrant) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer of the registrant, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at our request as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (all such persons being referred to as an “Indemnitee”), or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding and any appeal therefrom, if such Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the registrant’s best interests, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, he or she had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. The registrant’s Charter provides that the registrant will indemnify any Indemnitee who was or is a party or threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of us to procure a judgment in our favor by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer of the registrant, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at the request of the registrant, as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and, to the extent permitted by law, amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, and any appeal therefrom, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the registrant’s best interests, except that no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to us, unless a court determines that, despite such adjudication but in view of all of the circumstances, he or she is entitled to indemnification of such expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that an Indemnitee has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, he or she will be indemnified by us against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred in connection therewith. Expenses must be advanced to an Indemnitee under certain circumstances.

As a condition precedent to the right of indemnification, an Indemnitee must give the registrant notice of the action for which indemnity is sought and the registrant has the right to participate in such action or assume the defense thereof.

Article EIGHTH of the registrant’s Charter further provides that the indemnification provided therein is not exclusive, and provides that no amendment, termination or repeal of the relevant provisions

of the Delaware corporate law statute or any other applicable law will diminish the rights of any Indemnitee to indemnification under the registrant’s Charter.

Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware provides that a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation and certain other persons serving at the request of the corporation in related capacities against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlements actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with an action, suit or proceeding to which he is or is threatened to be made a party by reason of such position, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful, except that, in the case of actions brought by or in the right of the corporation, no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or other adjudicating court determines that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

We maintain a general liability insurance policy which covers certain liabilities of directors and officers of the registrant arising out of claims based on acts or omissions in their capacities as directors or officers.

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

The Exhibit Index immediately preceding the exhibits is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9. Undertakings.

1. Item 512(a) of Regulation S-K. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (i) and (ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or

furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

2. Item 512(b) of Regulation S-K. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

3. Item 512(h) of Regulation S-K. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on this 14^th day of November, 2011.

THE FIRST MARBLEHEAD CORPORATION
By:	/s/    Daniel Meyers
	Daniel Meyers Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors

POWER OF ATTORNEY AND SIGNATURES

We, the undersigned officers and directors of The First Marblehead Corporation, hereby severally constitute and appoint Daniel Meyers and Kenneth Klipper, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys with full power to them, and each of them singly, to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below, the registration statement on Form S-8 filed herewith and any and all subsequent amendments to said registration statement, and generally to do all such things in our names and on our behalf in our capacities as officers and directors to enable The First Marblehead Corporation to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they may be signed by our said attorneys, or any of them, to said registration statement and any and all amendments thereto.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature	Title	Date
/s/    Daniel Meyers Daniel Meyers	Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors (Principal Executive Officer)	November 14, 2011
/s/    Kenneth Klipper Kenneth Klipper	Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)	November 14, 2011
/s/    Ryan R. Brenneman Ryan R. Brenneman	Managing Director and Chief Accounting Officer (Principal Accounting Officer)	November 14, 2011
/s/    Nancy Y. Bekavac Nancy Y. Bekavac	Director	November 14, 2011

Signature	Title	Date
/s/    William R. Berkley William R. Berkley	Director	November 14, 2011
/s/    Dort A. Cameron III Dort A. Cameron III	Director	November 14, 2011
Henry Cornell	Director	November 14, 2011
/s/    George G. Daly George G. Daly	Director	November 14, 2011
/s/    Peter S. Drotch Peter S. Drotch	Director	November 14, 2011
/s/    Thomas P. Eddy Thomas P. Eddy	Director	November 14, 2011
/s/    William D. Hansen William D. Hansen	Director	November 14, 2011

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Number	Description
5	Opinion of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, counsel to the Registrant
23.1	Consent of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (included in Exhibit 5)
23.2	Consent of KPMG LLP
24	Power of attorney (included on the signature pages of this registration statement)
99	2011 Stock Incentive Plan, as filed as Annex A to the Registrant’s definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 5, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference

EX-5

Exhibit 5

November 14, 2011	+1 617 526 6000 (t) +1 617 526 5000 (f)
The First Marblehead Corporation The Prudential Tower	wilmerhale.com
800 Boylston Street, 34th Floor Boston, Massachusetts

Re: 2011 Stock Incentive Plan

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have assisted in the preparation of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to an aggregate of 11,406,698 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Shares”), of The First Marblehead Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), issuable under the Company’s 2011 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).

We have examined the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Company, each as amended and restated to date, and originals, or copies certified to our satisfaction, of all pertinent records of the meetings of the directors and stockholders of the Company, the Registration Statement and such other documents relating to the Company as we have deemed material for the purposes of this opinion.

In our examination of the foregoing documents, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, photostatic or other copies, the authenticity of the originals of any such documents and the legal competence of all signatories to such documents.

We assume that the appropriate action will be taken, prior to the offer and sale of the Shares in accordance with the Plan, to register and qualify the Shares for sale under all applicable state securities or “blue sky” laws.

We express no opinion herein as to the laws of any state or jurisdiction other than the state laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the federal laws of the United States of America.

It is understood that this opinion is to be used only in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares while the Registration Statement is in effect.

Please note that we are opining only as to the matters expressly set forth herein, and no opinion should be inferred as to any other matters.

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, 60 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109

Beijing Berlin Boston Brussels Frankfurt London Los Angeles New York Oxford Palo Alto Waltham Washington

November 14, 2011

Page 2

Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares have been duly authorized for issuance and, when the Shares are issued and paid for in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Plan, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission in connection with the Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act. In giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission.

Sincerely, WILMER CUTLER PICKERING HALE AND DORR LLP
By:	/s/    Susan W. Murley
	Susan W. Murley, Partner

EX-23.2

Exhibit 23.2

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Stockholders

The First Marblehead Corporation:

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statement on Form S-8 of The First Marblehead Corporation of our reports dated September 8, 2011 with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of The First Marblehead Corporation and subsidiaries as of June 30, 2011 and 2010 and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended June 30, 2011, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2011, which reports appear in the June 30, 2011 annual report on Form 10-K of The First Marblehead Corporation.

Our report dated September 8, 2011 on the consolidated balance sheets of The First Marblehead Corporation and subsidiaries as of June 30, 2011 and 2010, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity (deficit) and cash flows, refers to the Company’s change in its method of accounting for transfers of financial assets and consolidation of variable interest entities, effective July 1, 2010, due to the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2009-16, Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860) – Accounting for Transfers of Financial Assets, and ASU 2009-17, Consolidation (Topic 810) – Improvements to Financial Reporting by Enterprises Involved With Variable Interest Entities.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

November 14, 2011