$1.3B Advisor Jumps to Merrill

Merrill Lynch hired a private wealth advisor managing more than $1.3 billion in client assets for its elite Private Banking & Investment Group, according to the firm.

Advisor Will Leven left UBS to join Merrill's Houston office, where he will report to Bob Johnson, regional managing director. In a statement, Leven said he made the move in part because of the firm's platform and technology.

Leven had been with UBS since 2003, according to BrokerCheck records. He started his career in 1992 with Goldman Sachs.

Also making the move are analysts Alora Anderson and Anthony Hoff, as well as client associate Ashlee Kegler.

Merrill has been on aggressive recruiting push in recent months, luring away big producers from rival wirehouses. In addition, the firm has also picked up a number of advisors from Barclays, which recently entered into an agreement to sell its U.S. wealth management operations to Stifel.

Merrill recently reported that advisor headcount rose 187 to reach 14,370 for the second quarter. Merrill attributed the growth to the firm's training efforts as well as more robust recruiting efforts.

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