Three former Bank of America Merrill Lynch advisors have joined Hilliard Lyons, the Kentucky-headquartered wealth manager, in North Carolina.

Peter Shanahan, Dwayne Powell and Deane Gauthier operate as the SPG Group and managed $165 million in client assets at Merrill. They joined Hilliard Lyons in Hendersonville, where they launched a new office for the firm, according to Reuters.

The trio is joined by client service associates Ann Lamb and Kelly Maumenee, also formerly with Merrill.

In other news, at the end of October last year Hilliard Lyons hired Robert Bernardin as a senior vice president for its Evansville, IN, office. Bernardin joined from Morgan Stanley, where he oversaw some $300 million in client assets. He has been in the industry for 30 years.