Morgan Stanley hires advisors on two coasts with $3M in production

Morgan Stanley furthered its hiring streak by picking up two advisors who have generated more than $3 million in combined revenue.

It’s a sign that the firm continues to selectively recruit even after it reduced hiring efforts in recent years and left the Broker Protocol in 2017.

In Coos Bay, Oregon, Morgan Stanley engaged John Nicolaus, previously of independent broker-dealer CUSO Financial Services, where he oversaw $120 million in client assets. Nicolaus reports to George Kane, complex manager.

An advisor of 27 years, he had been with CUSO since 2005, according to FINRA BrokerCheck records. Nicolaus said Morgan Stanley facilitated an easy transition for him.

“The process of deciding to move a book is worrisome in the best of times. If I had known how positive the transition to Morgan Stanley was going to be, I’d have slept a whole lot better the quarter before, when I was weighing the decision,” he said in a statement.

Morgan Stanley’s other recent hire, Victor Panos, joined the firm in Orlando, Florida. Panos oversaw $178 million at his prior firm, Merrill Lynch, where he started his career in 2012, according to BrokerCheck.

Panos reports to branch manager Mike Brewer.

Larger picture, Morgan Stanley’s two latest hires join a slew of brokers making moves in recent weeks — a reversal from March when hiring slowed down across the industry in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

A Morgan Stanley spokeswoman confirmed the new hires.