Investment strategies

U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, an affiliate of the Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM) unit of Bank of America [BAC], announced that Grant Boyd had been named market executive in Greater Atlanta. Boyd previously worked at The Private Bank of Wells Fargo, where he was a senior vice president and private banking manager for the Southeast region. In his new role he will oversee the direction and growth of U.S. Trust’s relationships with high- and ultra-high-net worth individuals and families.

Recent revelations such as those involving Goldman Sachs demonstrate that when it comes to investing, many commercial banks, pension funds, endowments and other institutions are not sophisticated.

Investment managers rely on an array of electronic tools to execute the most complex program trading and algorithmic trading strategies. And brokerage firms and banks can pretty much communicate with their institutional clients electronically in a matter of minutes if not seconds or even microseconds.

WASHINGTON—The Securities and Exchange Commission is set to issue new rules on the use of derivatives in mutual and exchange-traded funds, Andrew “Buddy” Donohue, director of the division of investment management, told executives Friday at the Investment Company Institute’s General Membership Meeting.

Connecticut's financial hub is struggling to rebound in the wake of the recession, but planners hope the area's relatively low real estate rates and high vacancies could attract jobs back to the area.

Bank of America’s U.S. Trust unit is embarking on a new advertising campaign aimed at ultra-high-net-worth individuals. The “What Is Worth?” campaign is an attempt to demonstrate to potential clients U.S. Trust expertise in managing both their tangible and intangible assets.

The pace of mergers and acquisitions in the asset management industry is expected to pick up for the rest of this year both nationally and globally after tumbling in the first quarter.

Investor confidence among millionaires rose to its highest level in more than two years as optimism about the economy increased.

WASHINGTON — Republicans, as promised, banded together to block Senate debate on financial regulatory reform legislation Monday, picking up opposition from one Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

Although financial advisers expect 2010 to be a great year, wirehouses are still feeling the turbulence, and concerns about breakaway brokers, although waning, remain, according to Aite Group.

The civil suit filed against Goldman Sachs by the Securities & Exchange Commission alleging securities fraud could strengthen the argument to establish a universal fiduciary standard, according to legal experts.

NEW YORK—The financial services industry might want to take a cue from Domino’s Pizza before declaring “mission accomplished” on the economic crisis.

Despite increasing optimism about the economy, affluent investors remain concerned about retirement savings and the rising costs of healthcare.

As sentiment among wealth managers shifts, more capital has become available and companies right-size, banks, trust companies, wealth managers, and bank brokerages that are in a strong position to expand into a new market and acquire new units, will do so. But it is also the moment when companies without the capital—and stability—will get left behind.

Boosted by its investment banking and wealth management units, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reported stronger than expected first-quarter results. The New York-based company posted first-quarter earnings today of $3.33 billion, or 74 cents a share, a 55% increase from the year-ago period. JPMorgan Chase’s overall revenue rose 5% to $28.17 billion.

Despite strong market returns last year, a majority of financial advisers have found that their clients will have to work three to five years longer to maintain their standard of living during their retirement, according to a survey.

WASHINGTON — President Obama's successful fight to pass healthcare reform has given a bill to revamp the financial system a dramatic boost, lawmakers from both parties said Wednesday.

Seventy-five percent of financial advisers’ clients are planning to delay retirement up to five years, according to the quarter Brinker Barometer.

NEW YORK—Following one the worst global financial meltdowns, the economic recovery has exceeded almost anyone’s expectations and will get another jolt when employment numbers begin to improve in the next couple of months, according to Barclays Capital.

MetLife believes that the once-ignored “emerging investor” is becoming critical to adviser business as firms try to figure out how to retain and recruit new clients.