Independent BDs

A FINRA arbitration panel also orders the expungement of the advisor's termination records.

The heads of the employee and independent advisory channels will report to Ameriprise CEO Jim Cracchiolo when Don Froude steps down as president of the firm's Personal Advisor Group.

Behind the scenes, tension was building in the executive suite, according to insiders. And Moore's departure appears to have been the result of an internal rivalry with the man who replaced him as president.

A wealth manager has been hit with 14 customer disputes since entering the industry in 2005, FINRA records show.

It's 'not what I would consider to be planning,' said RCS Capital CEO Michael Weil during a Citi Asset Management Investors Conference in New York.

Yes and no, experts say. But it's a thorny issue given that many IBD advisors consider themselves fiduciaries and do most of their business through RIAs.

The review is likely to start with broker-dealers and their platforms; It will coincide with a second, more targeted phase of the commission's cybersecurity sweep.

The firm agreed to pay $225,000 for failing to adequately supervise its registered representatives, one of whom allegedly bilked elderly clients of over $300,000.

Advisors Patti Brennan and Judy Rubin offered tips on communicating value to new clients.

Advisors must do a better job nurturing new women advisors and engaging female clients. Even so, AIG Advisor Group CEO Erica McGinnis has high hopes for women in the industry moving forward.

CFO moves up as departing exec heads to asset management shop.

After 18 years with LPL, veteran advisor Edward Metz leaves for more personalized service at the smaller BD.

In a rare independent-to-employee move, four independent advisors joined the employee channel of Raymond James.

After the company combines its custodian and clearing businesses and launches a new tech division, advisors should be alert to any service changes.

Just after a $150 million deal to acquire rival Sterne Agee was announced, quarterly profits in the firm's wealth management division were up 6.5% year-over-year.

Retail advice revenue accounted for roughly two-thirds of RCS's total full-year revenue of $2.8 billion, but the company's 2014 loss was almost 100 times greater than in 2013.

The deal boosts Stifel's advisor force by one-third to about 2,800 advisors -- and readies the firm to grow its business in the independent channel.

Stifel CEO Ronald Kruszewski wants to be an advice leader, and acquiring Sterne Agee may get him there, potentially lifting the firm's total advisor headcount to 2,800.

A former executive at the REIT giant co-founded by Nicholas Schorsch has dropped a suit accusing the company of firing her for blowing the whistle on financial improprieties.

While regulatory costs pulled-down full-year profits, the giant IBD seemed to turn a page at year end with a 9.8% spike in fourth-quarter earnings.