Wells Fargo's Lengthy Contract is Vexing Brokers

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(Bloomberg) -- Wells Fargo has made it easy for Credit Suisse's U.S.-based advisors to join the wirehouse. Leaving, however, is another story.

The firms struck a recruitment deal in October allowing advisers at the Swiss bank's shrinking U.S. operations to smoothly transition to Wells Fargo if they want. Those who take the offer must remain at Wells Fargo for 13 years to earn the full payout of bonuses tied to the agreements, much longer than the industry's typical nine-year deal, said people with knowledge of the arrangement.

"Once something is longer than nine or 10 years, most people don't want to sign that," said Mark Elzweig, a New York-based recruiter, adding that more than 40% of advisers at the biggest brokerages are 55 or older. "It's unfathomable, it becomes too much to get your head around."

Many banks are building out their wealth-management divisions because the business offers steadier revenue and requires less capital than trading operations. Competition for the best producers reached a fever pitch this year after Credit Suisse announced it was retreating from managing money for U.S. clients, meaning 270 or so advisers needed a new home. In recent weeks, UBS, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Merrill Lynch have picked up advisers with more than $12 billion in combined assets.

While a 13-year commitment is unusual for the industry, the length of adviser deals has grown along with the size of bonuses over the past three decades, Elzweig said. The arrangements typically pay about 300% of an adviser's trailing 12-month revenue if the employee remains for the entire period and clears revenue hurdles.


Competitors are in a "feeding frenzy" for top Credit Suisse advisers, David Carroll, who runs Wells Fargo's wealth- and investment-management division, said at a conference last month. The bank had entertained almost 80% of Credit Suisse's U.S. advisers at its St. Louis brokerage headquarters as of mid-November, he said.

Morgan Stanley last month hired a New York-based Credit Suisse team advising on more than $5 billion in assets, led by Richard Zinman, Anthony Dertouzos and John Moreno. UBS said it added more than 20 Credit Suisse brokers managing more than $6.8 billion, including a Los Angeles team that oversaw $1.8 billion. Merrill Lynch hired Nicole Primack Andres, who managed more than $600 million in client assets.

GROWTH BUSINESS

"The wealth business is a major area of focus for Wells Fargo and our growth in this area is fueled by our commitment to do what's best for our clients," Jack Grone, a spokesman for the wirehouse, said in a statement. "We're having productive conversations with Credit Suisse relationship managers, and we're pleased with our progress so far."

Grone declined to say how many Credit Suisse advisers Wells Fargo has hired. Nicole Sharp, a spokeswoman for the Zurich-based firm, declined to comment.

Wells Fargo's deal with Credit Suisse gives the firm access to more detailed information than it would normally get about customers, their investment portfolios and the products the Swiss firm marketed to them, a person with knowledge of the arrangement said in October. It also makes it easier for Credit Suisse employees who join Wells Fargo to transfer their business, the person said.

One of the few advantages of a lengthier deal would be that bonus payments are spread over a longer period, lowering advisers' taxes in any given year, said Mindy Diamond, president of Diamond Consultants, a Morristown, N.J.-based recruiting firm.

Wells Fargo typically offers smaller bonuses than its competitors when recruiting advisers from other firms, Carroll said last month.

"If you're out for the biggest check, there's probably somewhere else that will write that for you," he said. "We're selling a long-term view, a partnership."

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