Wirehouses

The moves occurred in the days before the firm's planned exit from the Broker Protocol.

The wirehouse's advisor headcount, at 14,564 at the end of the third quarter, was down 3% year-over-year.

Brokers' top questions and concerns about the protocol's demise answered.

The move occurred just days before UBS said it would exit the Broker Protocol.

A massive acquisition, the possible end of the Broker Protocol and other issues will shape the industry in 2018.

With two wirehouses out, questions arise as to whether Merrill Lynch will follow suit.

Morgan Stanley alone lost 11 teams managing about $7 billion after its abrupt exit from the protocol pact, according to recent hiring announcements.

The firm has cast a wide recruitment net, luring practices large and small.

Most of the barriers protecting wealth management from tech competitors have been chipped away, executives say.

While it was driven by the big firms’ desire to avoid litigation costs, there was a catalyst, without which I believe there would have been no pact.