Former NationsBank Executive Leading 3 Units of Legg Mason

Seven months after defecting from NationsBank Corp., Andrew M. Silton, the former president of its TradeStreet Investment Associates unit, is settling into a new home.

On May 4, Mr. Silton, 44, joined Legg Mason Inc., the Baltimore securities firm, as executive vice president and chief operating officer of its asset management group. He reports to Edward A. Taber 3d, the group's senior executive vice president.

Mr. Silton said his role includes oversight of three units: Brandywine Asset Management, a Wilmington, Del., company Legg Mason bought last year; Western Asset Management Co., Pasadena, Calif.; and Legg Mason Capital Management, Baltimore.

He said the job was created for him after he initiated discussions with two of Legg Mason's top executives shortly after leaving NationsBank last November.

"I think it grew out of the fact that I've had an enormous amount of experience managing money, managing investment professionals, doing product development, making acquisitions," Mr. Silton said.

Mr. Silton left NationsBank after a three-year stint. While there, he focused on helping the Charlotte, N.C., banking company build a money management business. But, he said, "I found that the spate of acquisitions made that difficult." He was succeeded by Holly D. Deem, who previously was managing director for client services at TradeStreet.

In the interim, Mr. Silton split his time between investment banking consulting and writing a financial services thriller that deals with bank mergers, money management firms, and industry pressures. He has not lined up a publisher for the novel, which is not yet finished.