Going independent

Independent and regional firms have been maintaining strong appeal with new recruits.

A segmented market is ready to embrace scale, says Raymond James president Bill Van Law.

Michael Parker joins the regional firm as it ramps up recruiting efforts, netting a number of large wirehouse teams.

"This is a window for these regional firms to really explode," says Rob Blevins, a recruiter in Dublin, Ohio.

The advisors joined existing practices within the bank's independent broker-dealer arm.

A different regulatory landscape is encouraging brokers to reconsider their options.

The platform provider has added 12 firms to its roster so far this year.

Regional brokerages and firms that assist breakaway advisors have been picking off top talent at the wirehouses.

One advisor says the fiduciary rule prompted the latest wirehouse exit to an RIA.

The independent firm was founded by two former Merrill Lynch advisors in 2012.