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M&A Deals In US Registered Investment Advisor Sector Jumped Last Year - Schwab
Harriet Davies
29 January 2013
Merger
and acquisition deal volume in the RIA industry US, as measured by assets
under management, jumped 30 per cent last year compared to 2011,
according to the latest data from Schwab Advisor Services.
In 2012, 45 deals were completed representing $58.8 billion in AuM.
This is down from 57 deals in 2011, which nevertheless only represented
$43.9 billion in assets. As such, average deal size shot up from $798
million to $1.31 billion. The rise in AuM deal volume last year marked the reversal of a
downward trend that had set in since 2007, when this figure peaked at
$90.73 billion. It then fell year by year (bar a small rise in 2010) to
last year’s low. When deals are measured by number, though, the picture is quite
different, with directional trends being less defined. Going back to
2004, deal number rose pretty steadily through 2007, before falling then
reaching a peak in 2010 with 70 deals. National acquiring firms on shopping spree Last year national acquiring firms were the dominant buyer, making up
55 per cent of deals. They were followed by RIAs (20 per cent), “other”
firms (16 per cent) and regional banks (9 per cent), as national banks
didn’t make any purchases. In terms of significant changes from 2011,
national acquiring firms ramped up their buying while RIAs completed far
fewer acquisitions. Breaking down the data by quarter shows that the first quarter was the busiest
period, as 17 deals totaling $23.96 in AuM were completed. The rest of
the deals were spread out fairly evenly over the year, with the final
quarter seeing the most AuM changing hands after Q1. "A destination of choice" “The independent model has become a destination of choice for both
advisors and high net worth investors alike, and the growth in the
overall size of the deals we saw in 2012 is proof that this is a model
that is growing and flourishing,” said Jon Beatty, senior vice
president, sales and relationship management, Schwab Advisor Services.
“It also points to a new inflection point for the industry, as RIAs
appear to be actively considering M&A as a way to grow their
business, and as a component of their succession planning efforts.” Last year First Republic Bank acquired Luminous Capital in what was
widely considered a landmark deal for the industry. Luminous had
garnered some $5 billion in assets under management in just four years,
and the deal price was reported to be between $125 million and $200 million. “The deal is a strong testament to the value of the RIA model,” David DeVoe, a San Francisco-based strategic consultant, told Family Wealth Report
near the time. “Luminous is a phenomenal success story, and the
attractive valuation underscores how valuable the RIA model has become.”