US financial services group Merrill Lynch has poached a 15-strong corporate compensation team from Swiss rival UBS, while also beefing up in wealth management in its Pacific West region. The team includes four principals. "Executive compensation is more and more complex," Brian Riley, Merrill Lynch regional managing director for the Pacific West region told theSan Francisco Business Times. "It's great to have a team of professionals that can go to a company of just about any size and help them determine and implement their executive compensation programme." Mr Riley, whose Northern California territory includes San Francisco and Sacramento plus the firm's Pacific Island offices, oversees 500 employees who generate more than $200 million in annual revenue.