Wirehouses

Coming off a strong recruiting year, Steward Partners has enticed three more Wells Fargo brokers.

The move marks the firm's second hire in the past week.

The former underdog is settling into its role as one of Wall Street's more well-balanced firms.

Wealth management has “only increased in relevance as it’s continued to grow,” CFO Jon Pruzan said.

The advisor transferred funds from his sibling's Wells Fargo accounts and deposited them into a jointly owned account that he used to pay off credit card debts and fund home improvements, FINRA claimed.

They were previously part of a team that oversaw $2 billion in assets.

Fourth-quarter profits ticked up a modest 1% year-over-year to $659 million even as number of advisors dropped 2%.

The firm has appointed company veteran Doug Brigman to run the Tampa Bay complex.

Complaints lodged against the firm through Dec. 15 dropped 18% from the same period of 2016, federal figures show.

Brokerages have broken ranks in recent weeks over whether to facilitate clients’ bets on bitcoin amid widespread concern that it’s a bubble or that the cryptocurrency’s price is potentially susceptible to manipulation.