JPMorgan Adds $940 Million Merrill Advisor in Los Angeles as Rivals Recruit

Advisor recruiting produced additions for three large wealth managers in early November, with JPMorgan’s Los Angeles hire standing out for the size of her client book. Tiffany Yu, a Merrill advisor who oversees $940 million in client assets, has joined J.P. Morgan Wealth Management at its Century City office. The move extends the bank’s effort to expand its advisor presence in California.

Yu brings more than 30 years of wealth management experience. She joins Elevate Wealth Partners, where she’ll work with wealth partner Eric Gray. The team serves wealthy clients with planning, investing, banking and lending services. JPMorgan hasn’t provided details about Yu’s client mix or how many clients may move with her, so the reported asset figure offers the clearest measure of the hire’s scale.

Michael Rogers, a regional director at J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, said Yu’s experience includes helping clients pursue financial goals and address complex planning needs. He added that her arrival strengthens the firm’s presence in the Los Angeles community and its ability to serve client demand. That local context matters: JPMorgan says it has roughly 240 branches and about 4,500 employees in Los Angeles.

California hiring adds to JPMorgan’s local footprint

Yu’s hire follows other California additions made earlier this year under Mollie Colavita, head of J.P. Morgan Advisors. In Los Angeles, JPMorgan signed David Amar, who manages $1.1 billion and returned to the company after time at William Blair. In Palo Alto last month, Pourya Naeimi joined from Wells Fargo with $533 million in assets under management.

JPMorgan’s Los Angeles addition, David Amar and its Palo Alto hire, Pourya Naeimi give the recent California push more scale. The individual asset totals differ, but together the hires show the range of practices the bank has added in the state. The available details don’t establish whether the moves reflect a broader shift in client demand or the circumstances of individual advisors.

Read more: JPMorgan advisors launch $18.6B RIA Latigo Peak sans PE backing

Wells Fargo adds more than $750 million in assets

Wells Fargo Advisors brought in three advisors whose practices together manage more than $750 million, drawing talent from Morgan Stanley, Edward Jones and Merrill. Kellon Lawrence was the largest of the three additions: he left Morgan Stanley in Ridgeland, Mississippi, with more than $470 million in client assets.

In Shelby, North Carolina, Scott Sharp joined from Edward Jones with more than $135 million. Senior client associate Ashlea Gregory moved with him. Jon-Marc Blalock, who manages approximately $150 million, joined Wells Fargo from Merrill in Palm Desert, California, accompanied by Cristina Cardenas.

These hires add to a recruiting rebound at the firm, which has been adding practices from competitors throughout 2026. Diamond Consultants’ most recent advisor transition report, published in October, counted 437 advisors joining Wells Fargo during the first half of 2026. The report included movement into its Private Client Group, FiNet and other channels.

The report described Wells Fargo as having “turned the corner,” and said it had become the leader in adding new advisors and teams. It also highlighted a feature that sets the firm apart among wirehouses: advisors can move from an employee model to an independent affiliation without leaving the broader firm. That flexibility may be a factor in recruiting, though the report’s figures alone don’t show why any individual advisor changed firms.

The three new practices add to Wells Fargo’s recruiting activity, while the broader figures offer a view of movement across the firm’s channels. For clients and staff, an advisor transition can raise practical questions about service continuity and team structure. The details available here identify which advisors and associates moved, but don’t describe how their clients will be served during the transition.

Read more: Wirehouses losing more advisors so far in 2026: report

UBS recruits in Hartford

UBS recruited Brannon Ozark to its Hartford, Connecticut, office from Fidelity Investments, where he worked as a vice president and financial consultant. UBS didn’t disclose the assets he oversees, making the move harder to compare by scale with the JPMorgan and Wells Fargo hires.

Ozark has more than 15 years of financial services experience, focused on wealth management, retirement planning and investment strategy. He joins UBS’s Greater New York Metro Market and reports to market director Gabriel D’Amica. D’Amica cited Ozark’s experience, approach to wealth management and focus on client relationships as reasons he would strengthen the business.

Across the three firms, the reported moves range from a $940 million practice in Los Angeles to a Wells Fargo group of three practices and an UBS hire whose assets weren’t disclosed. Asset totals show the size of the practices involved, but they don’t reveal client retention, future team growth or the economics of each move. Those details will determine how much these hires change the firms’ local reach beyond the initial recruiting headlines.