Broker-Dealers

Despite Its Long Rap Sheet, Merrill Lynch Is Coopting The Fiduciary Message; Thundering Herd Will Beat A Glorious Path To Restoring Investor Trust

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Merrill Lynch’s rap sheet from the past decade reads like a chapter in a book about the history investment fraud, and the blundering herd played a central role in the global debt crisis. Yet the head of Merrill’s U.S. wealth management division and worldwide private banking and investment group posted an article in Barron’s this past weekend sounding remarkably like a consumer crusader. 

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Commonwealth Financial Network Announces New Advisor Affiliation Models: You Can Be A Fee-Only RIA And Leverage The BD's Services

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Commonwealth Financial Network, which has 1,450 independdnent registered reps using its BD facilties, is now opening up up to RIAs and investment advisor reps.

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2012 Report Identifies Top Five Challenges For Broker-Dealers Along With Industry Trends And Best Practices

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An industry report commissioned by Pershing affiliate Albridge was designed to highlight gaps as well as evolving trends and best practices in the broker-dealer industry. The first report was done in 2010. Beacon Strategies LLC, a strategy and consulting firm, has updated that report for 2012.

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Lincoln Financial Advisor Defamation Case Highlights The Limitations Of Brokercheck

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Conflicting stories about a former rep that are now costing Lincoln Financial $2 million, but there's no trace of them in FINRA's publicly accessible database. That's probably a good thing.

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Long-Time Independent Advisor Goes The Other Way, Joins Ameriprise

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After being on his own since the early 1980s, a Texas advisor has gone back to the employee model. The motives are simple: compliance and technology.

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