Ralph Ortega

The group is the latest to defect from the British bank's wealth operation before its impending sale to Stifel.

Thomas J. Buck, an ex-Merrill Lynch and RBC advisor who once oversaw $1.2B in client assets, consented to FINRA findings that he "willfully committed fraud."

A recruit from the banking channel at Wells Fargo moves to the regional's independent broker-dealer.

The brokerage wants a judge to stop the former employee from claiming she remains employed by the firm, and from disclosing proprietary information on Facebook and other social media.

Rival Edward Jones has grown and wants to keep on growing.

Wells Fargo Advisors hopes to have 5,000 out of its 15,000-plus advisors using social media tools next year.

Bank of America's Keith Glenfield says clients at the firm's Merrill Lynch wealth management unit are using alternatives to take a more deliberate approach to core allocations.

The industry believes that adding lending and other services to an advisor's offerings will improve client service and boost the bottom line.