Lorie Konish

Floyd Gilbert Bickel joins Wells Fargo’s Frontenac, Mo., office.

Christine Cisco and Patrick Signor join RBC Wealth Management’s Watertown, N.Y., office.

Bank of America has hired almost 300 new Merrill Edge financial solutions in Texas and Florida, bringing the firm to its target of reaching more than 1,000 financial solutions advisors total by the end of this year.

Regional financial services firm Janney Montgomery Scott has expanded its private client group leadership with the hiring of Morgan Keegan executive Jim Dornan and promotion of regional manager Ray DiGaetano.

UBS Wealth Management Americas has hired two financial advisors from Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has hired two financial advisors from UBS Financial Services in Garden City, N.Y.

Robert W. Baird & Co. has continued its hiring streak by adding seven new advisors in the western U.S., with plans to keep up its hiring pace into next year.

Chief Market Strategist Douglas Coté said record levels of earnings, an all-time record high of aggregate consumer spending, and booming production by companies like Caterpillar are reasons for optimism.

When Raymond James launched a new financial advisor development program in October, it was designed to turn professionals like firm employee Rachel McNeil into a financial advisor.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has hired seven new financial advisors in New York, New Jersey and Ohio with more than $1.17 billion in client assets under management.

The team, which operates under the name Desai Group, previously had $1.7 billion in client assets under management and $8.3 million in annual fees and commissions.

Raymond Stacy and Christopher Pieper join Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Fort Mitchell, Ky.

Stifel Financial Corp. Chairman, President and Chief Executive Ronald Kruszewski urged pessimistic members of the financial services industry to go back and read a 1979 BusinessWeek article titled “Death of Equities” at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association annual meeting in New York.

Citigroup Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said Monday that MF Global’s woes point to a need for an expanded focus on the shadow banking system and broader transparency for derivatives.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s new data on 401(k) plan sponsor clients and plan participants shows that new loan issuance transactions are at record lows, while hardship withdrawals and total distribution amounts are at record highs.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has hired three financial advisors with more than $8 million in production from UBS Financial Services.

Wells Fargo Advisors has snapped up a financial advisor team from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Edmond, Okla.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch has hired a two-member private wealth advisor team from Credit Suisse in Chicago, and a three-member financial advisor team from Wells Fargo in Savannah, Ga.

Bank of America continued its hiring spree of financial solutions advisors with the addition of 27 new advisors in the Southeast U.S. region.

HighTower Advisors has snapped up Morgan Stanley Smith Barney branch manager Ann T. Rieder in the latest acquisition for its targeted national hiring spree.