Wealth management

Lincoln Financial Group was the fastest-growing big player in bank variable annuity sales last year, and as an encore the Philadelphia company is adding wholesalers in order to continue gathering share.

TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. announced Tuesday that it will drop account maintenance fees for all retail clients on April 21.

Prudential Financial Inc. said Tuesday that it has formed a partnership with LifeMark Partners Inc., a Baltimore-based national network of independent life brokerage agencies, to start a marketing program intended to help distributors sell insurance to women.

Northern Trust Corp. announced Tuesday that it is expanding further into Europe by opening its first office in the Netherlands.

National City Corp. in Cleveland said Tuesday that it has hired a former executive of FirstMerit Corp. in Akron, Ohio, to be its director of business succession planning and closely held business in the private-client group.

Prudential Annuities, the Newark, N.J., domestic annuity business of Prudential Financial Inc., said Monday that it had begun offering an optional variable annuity rider that promises lifetime income for a surviving spouse, with no income reduction after the death of the spouse.

Vanguard Group filed a registration statement Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission for five new portfolios in its Target Retirement Fund family.

Bank Hapoalim's purchase of Investec Inc., the Israeli bank's first foray into U.S. securities brokerage, will let it expand the service menu for its U.S. corporate clients, says John Murabito, the CEO of Hapoalim Securities.

St. Paul Travelers Cos. Inc. has denied reports of a planned merger with the Swiss insurance company Zurich Financial Services.

Bank Hapoalim BM, Israel's largest banking company has acquired Investec Inc., a New York institutional broker-dealer, from Investec PLC of London.

Variable annuities are becoming more prevalent within tax-deferred retirement plans, several insurers say.

Amazon.com Inc. offers an online department store for everything from books and electronics to pet supplies and sardines. Now it wants to add an outlet offering financial services, mutual funds, and college savings products.

Acordia Re, the Chicago reinsurance intermediary of Acordia, Inc., has hired John M. Ganter as a senior vice president.

Sun Life Financial U.S. has hired Michele Van Leer as a vice president and co-general manager of its individual life insurance division.

Charles Schwab Corp. reported favorable figures for February and said its first-quarter results would be stronger than expected.

T. Rowe Price Group plans to promote three executives to take on the responsibilities of chairman and president George A. Roche, who announced Thursday that he would retire in the fourth quarter.