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After years out of the spotlight due to the financial crisis, anti-money-laundering issues returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday as lawmakers raised renewed concerns about the supervision of money-services businesses.

While financial advisers have been relying on internal wholesalers more heavily since the financial downturn, they are also finding those contacts not as accessible or responsive as they would like, according to the latest installment in Financial Research Corp.’s Advisor Insight Series, “Wholesaler Effectiveness.” FRC concluded that fund companies may be underestimating and spreading this valuable resource too thinly.

A total of four sessions at the conference were focused on regulations and fiduciary responsibility and speculation swirled about who would be affected and how.

Jackson National Life Insurance announced it achieved record sales and deposits of $15.2 billion and record profit of $670 million in 2009. Sales and deposits were 8% higher than 2008, and net income increased from a net loss of $1 billion in 2008, primarily due to the positive impact of movement in non-operating derivative holdings and hedging practices for its annuities.

Folio Institutional, a division of FOLIOfn, has teamed up with Alliance Benefit Group Carolinas to offer a turn-key, web-based 401(k) platform that offers transparency, simplicity, low cost and is customizable. It includes custody, trading, recordkeeping and administration, and is available to advisers for just 95 basis points.

Americans need to resume saving and planning if they want to retire comfortably.

How can advisors broach this touchy subject with Boomers?

Eagle Asset Management has launched the Eagle Investment Grade Bond Fund, a mutual fund modeled on its High Quality Taxable fixed income separately managed accounts portfolio.

Prospects and clients might say they're feeling upbeat about the economy, but their money isn't talking.

BrightScope, a 401(k) ratings and analytics firm, has formed a partnership with Acceleration Retirement, a provider of practice management, marketing and lead generation services for retirement plan advisers—to offer a complete end-to-end prospecting and client acquisition solution.

The company increased sales by 14% last year, surpassing $1 billion for the first time in its history.

The reasons to buy long-term care insurance aren’t new. What is new, though, is who boomer clients are buying such insurance for: their parents.

The Michigan-based wealth management, CPA and business consulting firm is moving custody of its $2 billion-plus in assets under management.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board is expected to file long-awaited rule changes with the Securities and Exchange Commission that would implement the final phase of its transparency system for auction-rate securities and variable-rate demand obligations.

Muni Provisions Could Cost $20 billion

Money market funds are welcoming the Federal Reserve’s offer to buy an estimated $1 trillion in reverse repos, as the economy continues to rebound and the government looks to reduce the $2 trillion it pumped into the capital markets.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd said Tuesday that he continues to hope for a strong bipartisan regulatory reform bill, but he offered no fresh details on developments in negotiations.

Tarp warrants could spawn a new source of funds for banks

Bank regulators issued 1,143 formal enforcement actions against banks and their holding companies last year, a new record and more than double the 2008 tally.

Financial planners and advisers hope that by boosting marketing they can expand their practices this year, according to a survey released by TD Ameritrade Institutional.