Wealth management

Principal Financial Group's deal for ABN Amro Trust Services Co. is part of a strategy to increase its scale and expand its retirement business as the defined contribution industry consolidates.

Willis Group Holdings in New York has announced the hiring of Charles Halsey to be a senior vice president and leader of its new Las Vegas office.

Independent Financial Marketing Group Inc. in Purchase, N.Y., has announced the promotion of James P. Kirrane to national sales director.

Principal Financial Group said it had made more mutual fund options available to employers and employees participating in its combination high-deductible health plan and health savings account program.

Cigna Corp. in Philadelphia has announced the introduction of Academy by Cigna, a continuing education program meant to help employee benefit brokers and consultants advise customers on a full range of employee benefits.

The Blackstone Group, an alternative asset manager in New York, has announced several changes in senior management responsibilities to take effect Jan. 1.

Pioneer Investments, a unit of UniCredito Italiano, said Monday that it had appointed Giordano Lombardo deputy chief executive officer.

Mellon Financial Corp. announced Monday that it had completed its purchase of Providence Group Investment Advisory Co.

The insurance subsidiary of Commerce Bancorp Inc. used a disciplined agency acquisition strategy to fuel its growth in the late 1990s and early in this decade before too-rich deal pricing forced a pause in buying, and rapid growth, the past two years, the unit’s chief executive officer says.

MassMutual Financial Group said Monday that it had started a Web site section that includes information about financial products and services to help individual investors prepare for life events.

Principal Financial Group in Des Moines agreed Friday to buy ABN Amro Trust Services Co., the Chicago pension and retirement business of the Dutch banking giant ABN Amro Holding NV.

Its new president and chief executive officer says Regions Insurance Group in Memphis would like to branch out within the 15-state footprint of its parent, Regions Financial Corp., and into all 50 states within three years.

Citigroup Inc. said Friday that Charles Johnston will succeed W. Thomas Matthews as head of the global private-client group in its Smith Barney brokerage unit.

Fifth Third Asset Management Inc. said Friday that it has hired Mark Koenig and Michael Wayton for its quantitative investment team, which will assume management of the Passive Large Cap Core and Enhanced Large Cap Core separate account strategies.

Morningstar Associates LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar Inc., said Wednesday that it had received a subpoena from New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer seeking information and documents related to his annuity investigation.

Guardian Insurance and Annuity Co. Inc. in New York said it has a contract with PMFM Inc. to offer the latter's investment advisory services to the insurer's retirement plan participants.

Transamerica Investment Management LLC has announced the hiring of David J. Hogan to be vice president, institutional fixed-income sales.

American Century Investments has announced the appointments of independent chairmen to its two fund boards, achieving early compliance with a new Securities and Exchange Commission regulation. The parent American Century Cos. Inc. also replaced its founder with his son as corporate chairman.