Merrill Lynch has hired four specialist executive compensation financial advisors from UBS to join its corporate advisory services group in San Francisco. The four are Richard Hanson and Jim Lacey, wealth management advisor Ted Rice, and former head of national sales for UBS' corporate equity services group, Steven Cannata. According to Houston-based headhunter Courtney Raymond Consultants, the three advisors together produced $5.5 million commissions and fees in the previous 12 months and had about $2 billion in client assets under management.