Coutts has recruited Eddie Rai from HSBC Private Bank to take up the role of senior private client partner in its Birmingham office, an appointment which follows the departure of Anne Brookes for Brown Shipley.

Rai had been with HSBC Private Bank for ten years, spending the past five as a director in its Birmingham branch. Before joining the private banking side of the business was a decade-long stint at HSBC Corporate Banking, where Rai specialised in the property sector.

Coutts also recently added private banker Paul Emery – latterly of NM Rothschild & Sons – to its Birmingham team, which is soon to be housed in new premises in the city’s prestigious Church Street area.

Coutts has ambitious growth plans for the Midlands and already manages some £100 million ($161 million) of assets in Birmingham. England’s “second city” is a priority for a number of firms as regional hubs of wealth continue to grow outside London; in recent months both HSBC Private Bank and Barclays Wealth have boosted their Birmingham-based teams.

News of Brookes' departure from Coutts emerged last week, with reports saying that as well as appointing her as private banking director for its Birmingham office, Brown Shipley had also poached two other employees from the blue-blooded bank. Their names have yet to be confirmed.