NEW YORK, Oct 20 (Reuters) - U.S. bond firm PIMCO said

on Monday it has hired Goldman Sachs' ( GS ) former chief credit

strategist, Lotfi Karoui, as managing director and multi-asset

credit strategist.

Karoui had been at Goldman Sachs ( GS ) for 18 years. He will work

with PIMCO's portfolio managers in public and private credit

markets, the California-based firm said in a statement.

Recent bankruptcies of auto-linked firms and emerging losses at

banks and funds have fueled concerns over hidden risks in the

U.S. credit market, prompting investors to scrutinize risky debt

more closely.