Wirehouses

"There are ways to potentially be cute with it. You could potentially cut out retirement business from the back-end bonuses," says an ex-Merrill Lynch executive who works in the independent space. "Cute doesn't usually work when it comes to regulators."

The early decision stops advisers from earning commissions on products that will also generate fees through the firm's Investment Advisory Program.

New guidance from the Department of Labor provides conditions under which firms can offer bonuses and other compensation incentives.

The recording casts doubt on the CFP Board's claim that all CFPs are fiduciaries.

FINRA plans to add 1,000 new arbitrators this year to improve its troubled dispute resolution process, but offers few new details on some of its largest challenges.

CEO Sergio Ermotti pledged that cost-cutting efforts are to continue.

The decision is effective immediately and was made within hours of the Department of Labor issuing new regulatory guidance on the fiduciary rule's implications.

Unlike other scandals in recent years involving foreign exchange rates and the London Whale, Wells' employees falsifying accounts and charging unfair fees is easy to grasp.

The new CEO said the aggressive sales goals – which were ditched earlier this month – served the interests of neither clients nor branch employees.

A new pilot program will test whether clients will be drawn to a voice-controlled technology the retailer's customers know as Alexa.