Aarti Maharaj

Christopher R. Conte will step down as an associate director in the division of enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission this month to join the Washington office of the law firm Steptoe & Johnson.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. recently recruited Michael O'Brien, a former BlackRock executive, to head its worldwide institutional sales.

The Royal Bank of Canada wealth management unit in the United States increased its net income by 10% in the company's fiscal third quarter from the year earlier.

The Merrill Lynch unit of Bank of America Corp. has agreed to pay $728,260 in civil penalties for letting unregistered client associates sell securities in states where they were not permitted to do so, New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow said on Wednesday.

According to advisers who have recalibrated their thinking, the benefits of working at the big companies are too important to give up, and many advisers simply do not want to be their own boss.

Raymond James & Associates has hired Eileen Lamchick and Susan Rutrough, both as vice president of investments at its Coral Gables, Fla., operation.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch has hired David Tyrie, formerly with Putnam Investments, as head of personal retirement services.

U.S. Trust announced the hiring of nine senior wealth management executives on July 22 for its California, Arizona and Washington operations as part of a wealth management expansion effort, according to a press release.

For as much press as the recent financial reform legislation received, most financial advisers appear unaware of its importance for their business and clients.

UBS AG has hired two more advisers from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. The hiring, along with a handful of others recently, goes somewhat against a longer trend as UBS has been under pressure in the face of massive defections in recent months.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch has recruited David Oman from UBS AG to serve as chief risk officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Investor behavior has changed dramatically amid the market rebound and signs of economic recovery, according to the 14th annual World Wealth Report released Wednesday by Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management in conjunction with Capgemini.

Financial advisers are starting to turn their backs on the idea of going independent and are instead favoring the benefits of working at wire houses, a survey found.

Deutsche Bank's private wealth management office in Houston has hired John T. McCauley, one of UBS Financial Services' top veteran managers, according to a statement from Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney's battle with Merrill Lynch is heating up as both firms sweeten their recruitment packages, recruiters say.