Wells Fargo Advisors

Already an aggressive recruiter, the firm upped its advisor head count by 115 during the recent quarter.

Stifel is expanding on the West Coast, hiring 13 recruits in California year-to-date.

Banking scandals are playing only a small role in advisor attrition, the firm says.

The dispute centered on the firm’s handling of Puerto Rican municipal bonds.

John and Cary Kortze opened Steward Partners' 16th branch office.

Advisor attrition is up at the beleaguered firm, but it doesn't have to be.

Six of the top 10 advisor recruits — managing roughly $13.2 billion in client assets — have walked out of the wirehouse so far this year.

The recruits oversaw more than $200 million in client assets.

Total broker head count dropped by 173 from the prior quarter, according to the wirehouse.

Gains by rivals expose independent advisors' vulnerability, says United Capital's Matt Brinker.