Ms Crystal and Mr Finocchio joined UBS' Uniondale, New York, office earlier in May, where they report to Chris Salerno, deputy branch manager. The team, which formed the Crystal Consulting Group, had $1.2 million in combined annual production and managed $250 million in client assets.

Prior to joining UBS, Ms Crystal worked at Citigroup for more than 15 years, while Mr Finocchio spent less than a year there, according to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority records, cited by the newspaper.

Smith Barney didn't immediately respond to a request to confirm the team's departure from the firm, the WSJ said.