More Indie Brokers Bulk Up On Recruiters
by Bruce Kelly and featured in Investment News February, 2006: New York - Inspired by the tremendous growth of Linsco/Private Ledger Corp. and its ability to recruit brokers and advisers, a number of independent-contractor broker-dealers are following the industry pacesetter's recruiting model by building staff in order to snag brokers. Linsco's affiliated sales force has soared, reaching 6,454 registered brokers and advisers at the end of last year, up from 4,700 in 2003 - an increase of 37%. The San Diego and Boston based company and its top executives reaped the rewards of that growth when it was valued at $2.5 billion in a sale of 60% of the broker-dealer to two private equity firms. Now other independent-contractor broker-dealers apparently are taking a page from Linsco's handbook and hiring regional recruiting staffs to troll...