Wirehouses

After holdings of U.S. debt surged to a record $1.89 trillion in 2012, lenders from Citigroup to Bank of America and Wells Fargo are culling for the first time in six years and amassing dollars.

Assets have nearly doubled for direct-investing platforms, but wirehouses still reign.

In case you missed them, here are the five most popular, well-read and shared stories of November from On Wall Street.

MBIA agreed to insure a $1.16 billion pool of mortgages without its employees reading a report the bond insurer now claims was altered to hide flaws in the loans, JPMorgan Chase’s lawyers told a judge.

UBS AG, the world’s biggest wealth manager, is targeting millionaire clients in oil-rich Nigeria and Angola as Swiss rival Credit Suisse Group AG withdraws from some African markets.

Dubai, which teetered on the brink of default in 2009, is cracking down on misconduct at its financial center to safeguard its position as a business hub.

Bank of America exceeded $15.06 yesterday, the price on the day before Brian T. Moynihan became chief executive officer almost four years ago.

Advisors must jumpstart the conversation or retirement planning could suffer, say executives at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Switzerland’s third-largest wealth manager said its gross margin declined as it absorbed Merrill Lynch businesses it agreed to acquire from Bank of America last year.

The firm is seeking regulatory approval to make financial advisors dual employees of its bank subsidiary in addition to the broker-dealer as it increases mortgage lending, a person briefed on the matter said

The firm alleged a former broker breached the terms of his contract when he left the firm just over two years in.

Activities unfolding within 3 separate industry rulemakers -- the SEC, FINRA and the Labor Department -- suggest changes ahead for both brokers and advisors.

Demand is high for experienced executives across all channels. While advisor migration to independent RIAs remains the dominant trend, large wirehouse and bank players are also very much in the game for talent.

Mary Mack, Wells Fargo's new brokerage chief, plans to put more retail clients into managed accounts as the largest U.S. firms nudge advisers away from picking individual stocks.

The first U.S. exchange-traded fund tracking China’s domestic stocks will lure investors seeking exposure to a broad range of industries in the biggest emerging economy, according to Societe Generale SA’s private bank.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group’s securities joint venture with Morgan Stanley will take a majority stake in the Japanese bank’s wealth-management business, deepening ties between the two firms.

With the launch of a new Institute for Sustainable Investing, the firm is looking to add $10 billion in client assets to its socially responsible investing platform.

Wells Fargo President and CEO Danny Ludeman discusses the challenges of marketing and winning new business.

U.S. Trust's Keith Banks says being a part of bank of America helps him deliver more than just wealth management services.

Bob McCann, CEO of UBS Group Americas, says while independent channels are making in-roads and can't be ignored, the threat doesn't keep him awake at night.