By Kenneth Corbin
Wells Fargo Advisors has lured three financial advisory teams away from competitors. The teams, which affiliated with FiNet, Wells Fargo's independent channel, managed a total of $1.2 billion in client assets at their former firms.
The moves continue the recruiting momentum at FiNet, which just celebrated its 25th anniversary amid a strong start to the year. Wells Fargo said that the teams FiNet brought on in January and February oversaw nearly $5.5 billion in client assets. The company described that period as "one of its strongest recruiting runs since its inception."
"FiNet has been a trusted home for advisors who want true independence without trade-offs for more than two decades," says FiNet President John Tyers. "Advisors see the firm's commitment and are voting with their feet. They're choosing FiNet to build their own firm or plug into an established practice as they scale."
Wells Fargo no longer discloses how many advisors it employs, and a spokeswoman declined to comment on how many advisors are affiliated with FiNet.
The largest of the newly recruited teams is Financial Architect Advisors, which is based in Newport Beach, Calif., and had been affiliated with UBS, where they oversaw nearly $690 million in client assets. UBS didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the departure.
The team is led by Frederick Grand and Thomas Nieto and includes Laura Holland, a support staffer. They joined Wells Fargo March 12.
A day earlier, Wells Fargo brought on the Laurel Financial Group team of Pittsburgh, which had overseen $170 million with Commonwealth Financial Network. A Commonwealth spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Laurel is led by Wesley Nicholson, Michael Allen, and Guy Filewich, and includes staffers Eve Greco, Ben Nicholson, Meredith Steinhagen, and Bridget Ellis.
On March 13, the third team, Kopkin + Englehardt Wealth Advisory Group, joined Wells Fargo's FiNet. That team, led by Mark Kopkin and Scott Englehardt, is based in Alpharetta, Ga., and had been affiliated with Stifel, Nicolaus, where they had overseen about $375 million in client assets. Yolanda Etchison, a support staffer, came to Wells Fargo through the move. Stifel declined to comment on the departure.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 17, 2026 16:20 ET (20:20 GMT)
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