Raymond James, Merrill Lynch execs to lead Wachovia brokerage groups. Wachovia Securities has made former Raymond James executive Kent Christian head of its independent brokerage group. That puts him in charge of Wachovia’s broker-dealer affiliate for independent representatives, the firm’s correspondent client group and its discount brokerage, a position formerly held by David Monday, who this past March moved over to head Wachovia Securities’ individual investor group.

“Kent is a highly experienced professional who brings talent, insight and understanding that will strengthen this important part of our organization and enhance our capacity to offer Financial Advisors and their clients choice and flexibility that is unparalleled in our industry,” says Wachovia Securities president and CEO Danny Ludeman, Christian’s new boss.

Christian was national sales head for the securities and investment management units at St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Raymond James, where he’d worked since 2003. Before that, and for the bulk of his career, he was at Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America.

And another one

Christian’s appointment comes about a week after Wachovia Securities named James Hays as president of its Private Client group, effective mid January. Hays, most recently managing director of the ultra-high-net-worth division of Merrill Lynch’s Global Private Client group, will replace James Donley, who has served as president of Wachovia’s Private Client group since late 2003.

Donley signaled his intention to retire earlier in 2005.

Like Christian, Hays will report to Ludeman.

“Jim Hays is a professional whose experience, talents, broad perspective and character are ideally matched to our firm’s unique culture and precisely suited to providing strong leadership and support for our financial advisors as they serve and advise their clients,” Ludeman says in a 15 December press release.

Hays’ new job will put him in charge of about 6,000 financial advisors working out of roughly 480 brokerage offices.

Wachovia Securities’ independent brokerage group is one of its three principal brokerage units. The others are its Private Client group, in which financial advisors serve clients in a traditional brokerage model, and the Investment Services group, through which Wachovia Securities advisors provide advice and brokerage services to Wachovia Bank customers.

Richmond, Va.-based Wachovia Securities is a unit of Charlotte, N.C.-based wachovia.com Wachovia Corporation. –FWR

.