Brokerage recruits teams from diverse regions in pre-Presidents Day blitz. Even as it gets set to meld its private-client division with Citigroup' retail brokerage Smith Barney, wirehouse Morgan Stanley recently is poaching big producers from rivals.

All over

Among a handful of brokers to join Morgan Stanley just before the Presidents Day holiday last week was Cincinnati-based Dean Trindle, who had been with Merrill Lynch since 1979. Trindle, who managed about $500 million for clients while at Merrill, had ad $6 million in trailing 12-month production, according to Dow Jones. He now reports to area manager Michael Quin.

Former UBS brokers Evan Steinberg and Todd Forman -- whose team accounted for more than $4.5 million in production and $685 million in client assets -- joined Morgan Stanley in New York, as reports to area manager Ben Firestein. Steinberg, had worked at UBS for eight years; Forman joined UBS in 2003.

Sean Richardson and Max Lile joined Morgan Stanley, also from UBS, in Los Angeles. While with UBS, the two had $1.1 million in combined production and managed $136 million in client assets, according to Dow Jones. They report to Morgan Stanley area manager Randall Hammond.

Morgan Stanley also added the father-and-son team of Robert Price and Eric Price -- formerly employed by Wells Fargo's Wachovia Securities -- as reports to area manager Michael Petramalo in Naples, Fla.

The Prices became Wachovia Securities brokers in 2007 when its then-parent company Wachovia acquired St. Louis, Mo.-based A.G. Edwards. FINRA records indicate that Robert Price joined A.G. Edwards in 1969; Eric Price joined the same firm in 1983.

Brokers frequently leave firms immediately before long weekends. It gives them more time to inform clients of their move. -FWR

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