Bank channel

There are only a few dozen banks with assets of $20 billion to $350 billion. In this regulatory climate, these regional banks in the middle of the size spectrum look very much like the industry's new sweet spot.

LPL introduced a comprehensive support program last month for banks' licensed branch employees. The program will be offered in conjunction with Epic Platforms.

Webster Bank's push to expand its wealth management business is making a difference in the bank's financial performance.

Julie Castle, COO of the wealth management unit of Zions Bancorp., says her firm is primed for a growth spurt. "We could be 10 times the size we are today with 5 to 7 years," she says of the firm's projected AUM.

Program managers are in a difficult spot, but one with a lot of potential.

The biggest challenge this year for Mike Zito has been keeping his advisors focused and motivated during a very rapidly changing environment, He provides honest feedback, which he feels is one reason he sees very little attrition. He is focused on growth and is constantly evaluating Trustmark's footprint and looking for gaps and openings to add advisors.

In 2004, TowneBank hired the father-and-son team of Ken Wren Sr. and Jr. to operate the investment program. Since then, the younger Wren has not only maintained and grown his own practice, but also has successfully developed his branch, composed of a blend of traditional and fee-based advisors.

In three years, Britt Woods accomplished as much as many program managers achieve in an entire career. He built two new programs in Tennessee and Georgia from scratch, making each a top producer, and then turned around a failing program in Kentucky within a short period of time.

Doug Wicks runs the Kinecta program with an entrepreneurial spirit and allows his advisors to run their practices as their own business. He's there to help, though, as he has an open-door policy to address any issues they face. He was BIC's top program manager in last year's ranking, just one year in a consistent growth pattern in the competitive southern California market.

Kevin Walrath has helped Northwest Federal CU build a diversified wealth management program. And while it's come a long way, this is just the first stage of its evolution. The bank has committed to the advisory model and embraces a fiduciary responsibility toward clients. The bank owes its success to the trust that clients have in advisors.

Some staffers say Tim Ratty is the best manager they've ever had. Unflappable in a crisis and still responsive to his advisors' needs, he encourages professional development. One of his career challenges was in joining the bank channel from a wirehouse, but his team says he's a "quick study" and can speak to any audience, large or small.

When Aaron Persons became program manager at University Federal CU in 2010, production was low, turnover high and branch employees had lost faith in the program. To better integrate the program into core offerings, he promoted a "give to get" mind-set where advisors should be the ones giving referrals. He also empowered reps to make decisions.

Britt Woods from Fifth Third Bank tops our list this year. He and other winners discuss the importance of providing their bank partners with referrals.

John Olerio's team at Webster Bank posted record numbers in 2012 for sales, production, assets under management and new advisory accounts. His leadership in developing the discipline for each advisor to complete a personalized business plan has had a significant contribution to these strong results.

Jack Nelson focuses on building a fully integrated team to help clients achieve their financial goals. He encourages his team to gain a full understanding of each client's needs by utilizing a holistic, consultative approach. He puts his 30-plus years of experience to work to gain clients' trust and ensure that they realize his team has their best interests at heart.

Jules Mbogi brings more than 14 years of experience in international wealth management to the UN, where he heads a team of multilingual advisors. His areas of expertise include international portfolio management, investment, retirement, and estate and insurance planning. Previously, he was an advisor at Citigroup's international division.

Robert Leach spent the first eight years or so at Heritage Bank as the sole producer before he started to slowly hire advisors in key markets served by his bank. He still gets in the office every day at 6 a.m. to make calls from lists the bank provides or make calls to companies he works with on their 401(k) plans.

Over his 19-year tenure as a program manager, Andrew Kaplan has played a critical role in each of his bank's 11 acquisitions, eight of which had existing programs where broker-dealer conversions followed. Kaplan's top priority through all of this has been maintaining a strong alignment between the bank and its investment program.

In a region that has seen foreclosures and layoffs, Joe Devine's team has spent a great deal of time on investor education, while also integrating the investment program into the core offering of the credit union. Among other things, they have revamped their website and increased referrals by instituting a compensation incentive program.

Alec Ardito is a positive role model who takes the time to get to know the staffers' styles. He helps them develop their skills to fulfill their goals. His enthusiasm and his style of giving constructive feedback prompt some advisors at Wells Fargo to seek him out as a manager. And even with high expectations of him, they report being pleasantly surprised at his effectiveness as a leader.