In the News

Sale of Securities America, Morgan Keegan Hindered by Weak M&A Environment

00:00 01 June in In the News by rafferty

June, 2011 by Janet Levaux and featured in AdvisorOne: Continuing liabilities and other fallout from the financial crisis has limited the pool of potential broker-dealer suitors. While rumors persist about possible suitors for Securities America, Morgan Keegan and other broker-dealers on the market, experts say the pool of buyers has shrunk dramatically over the past few years. For advisors, the longer the sales process take, the more likely it is that advisors will leave, they add. “There are fewer buyers out there right now,” said Jon Henschen (left), head of Henschen & Associates, a recruiting firm for independent advisors in Marine on St. Croix, Minn., in an interview with AdvisorOne. “There are just not many insurance firms looking for brokers, for instance, since many of them have...

Ladenburg Thalmann Possible Buyer in Securities America Sale

00:00 01 June in In the News by rafferty

by Diana Britton and featured in Registered Rep June, 2011: Ladenburg Thalmann, parent company of Triad Advisors and Investacorp, has emerged as a potential buyer of Securities America, which Ameriprise Financial (NYSE: AMP) announced plans to sell in late April, according to several industry sources. One industry recruiter, who declined to be named, told Registered Rep. that people inside Securities America have named Ladenburg as a potential bidder. Another industry source, who preferred to remain anonymous, said Securities America reps were being told to stay put as Triad Advisors has put in a bid. Other sources said that Ladenburg has been on the acquisition trail and that a purchase of Securities America would make a lot of sense for the financial services firm. Natalie Hadley, spokeswoman for Securities America, said she hadn’t heard...

Sale of Securities America: Advisors Should ‘Run,’ Recruiter Says

00:00 01 April in In the News by rafferty

by Janet Levaux and featured in Advisor One April, 2011: With Ameriprise Financial poised to sell Securities America after a series of legal disputes and costly settlements associated with two sales of private placements, recruiters say that advisors now affiliated with the independent broker-dealer should proactively consider their options. And, for at least one veteran recruiter, this means moving quickly to a “safer, more secure” broker-dealer environment. “I’d say run to the safest spot,” said Rick Peterson, a Houston-based recruiter, in a phone interview with AdvisorOne. “This could be to the largest IBD in the world, Linsco [LPL Financial], which has not had any of the issues” associated with private placement sales like Securities America. The point, he says, is to be able to tell your client that you are moving to a larger...