Wells Fargo & Co. announced Monday that its investment banking and capital markets businesses, formerly operating under the Wachovia Securities and certain Wells Fargo brands, will now operate under the brand Wells Fargo Securities.

The new brand encompasses the company's businesses in debt and equity underwriting, mergers and acquisitions, loan syndications, debt and equity sales and trading, tax-exempt products, research and economics, and certain hedging products such as equity derivatives.

Barrington Associates, Wells Fargo's middle-market mergers and acquisitions advisory division, will operate exclusively under the Wells Fargo Securities brand. Eastdil Secured, a Wells unit that provides real estate capital markets services, will retain that name and will offer securities products through Wells Fargo Securities.

The brand includes two business lines — investment banking and capital markets and the securities and investment group — that serve both middle market and large U.S. corporate and institutional clients.