Stifel Nabs Wells Fargo Team with $1 Billion AUM

Stifel has opened two new offices in the northwest with the addition of an 11-member team that managed more than $1 billion in assets at Wells Fargo.

The advisors, who operate under the name RMG Group, will open two offices in Bellevue, Wash., and Portland, Ore.

“The quality of their business and the integrity of their long-standing reputation in Washington and Oregon solidifies our commitment to the Northwest,” the Western Region director, John Lee, said in a statement. “I am excited about the message this announcement sends to other advisors in the region – Stifel is open for business.”

The 11 advisors had previously been at Wells Fargo Advisors before splitting off to form RMG Asset Management under Wells Fargo Financial Network in June of 2011. The RMG name is a testament to the team’s legacy brokerage firm Ragen MacKenzie, which was acquired by Wells Fargo in 2000.

According to Mark McClure, who is the branch manager of the new Bellevue office, there were two main reasons for the team’s move. They were attracted to the strength of Stifel’s equity research and also wanted to reduce some of the risks associated with a multi-person partnership.

“There are risks that are beyond your control whether its health issues or things like that when you have individual partners,” McClure said in a phone interview. “Sometimes taking the risk out of that type of situation is attractive as well.”

McClure is a nearly two-decade industry veteran who began his career in 1994, according to registration records with FINRA. At the Bellevue office, he will help build out the Stifel brand through recruiting and oversee eight other members of the RMG group.

Advisor Andrew Campbell will be senior vice president/investments at the office and brings 16 years of industry experience. He had been at Wells Fargo since 1997.

Lance McIntosh, also senior vice president/investments, began his career in 1992.

A 24-year industry veteran, Jennifer Rush joins as first vice president/investments.

T. Kevin Tucker, first vice president/investments, had been at Wells Fargo since 1993.

With 19 years of experience, Michael Harkins joined Wells Fargo in 1994 and moves to Stifel’s Bellevue office as a first vice president/investments.

Also first vice presidents/investments, Glen Ness started at Wells Fargo in 2001, and Richard P. O’Donnell began at Wells Fargo in 1990.

Michael J.P. Tucker joins as vice president/investments and had been at Wells Fargo since 2002.

The Portland office will be staffed by Joan Fisher, senior vice president/investments, and Jeffrey M. Wirth, also senior vice president/investments. Fisher and Wirth had both been with Wells Fargo since 1990, according to public filings.

Moving the entire team was a challenge, and it took several months to work out the details, according to McClure. He said the team relied on the sense of togetherness formed when they left Wells Fargo Advisors to establish RMG Asset Management in 2011.  

“I have to pinch myself sometimes that you can get that many people, especially brokers, on the same page,” he joked. “That carried over from initially when we spun off into FiNet, which was also a great experience.”  

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