Cetera Financial Group

Cetera Financial Group (commonly referred to as Cetera) is a shared service organization serving affiliates that comprise the second-largest family of independent broker-dealers in the United States. The company has nearly 8,000 financial advisors,[5] is a leading provider of retail financial services to investment programs of banks and credit unions, and has over $224.5 billion in advisory and brokerage assets under advisement, generating approximately $1.6 billion in annual revenue for the 2016 fiscal year. “Cetera Financial Group” refers to the network of independent retail firms encompassing, among others, Cetera Advisors, Cetera Advisor Networks, Cetera Investment Services (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions), Cetera Financial Specialists, First Allied Securities, and Summit Brokerage Services. All firms are members FINRA[6]/SIPC.[7]

Cetera Financial Group Inc
TypePrivate.[1]
IndustryFinancial Services
Founded2010[2]
Headquarters200 Pacific Coast Highway
El Segundo, California
Key people
  • Adam Antoniades (CEO)
RevenueUS$$1.6 billion (2016)[3]
Number of employees
1,300 (2016)[4]
Websitewww.cetera.com

Cetera has corporate offices in El Segundo, California., Boca Raton, Florida, Denver, Colorado, San Diego, California., St. Cloud, Minnesota., and Schaumburg, Illinois.

History

Cetera was established in February 2010 when ING Group sold three broker-dealers, Financial Network Investment Corp., Multi-Financial Securities Corp. and PrimeVest Financial Services Inc., to an investment fund managed by Lightyear Capital LLC, a private equity firm specializing in financial services.[8][9] The firms kept their names, but operated under the new group name Cetera Financial Group. In April 2012 the group purchased Genworth Financial’s broker-dealer and investment adviser firms, Genworth Financial Securities Corp. and Genworth Financial Advisors Corp.[10]

On September 4, 2012, Cetera rebranded each of the firms; Financial Network was renamed Cetera Advisor Networks, Multi-Financial became Cetera Advisors, and PrimeVest became Cetera Investment Services (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions).[11] The Genworth firms became Cetera Financial Specialists, the broker-dealer, and Cetera Investment Advisers, the registered investment adviser.[12]

RCS Capital Corporation purchased Cetera on April 29, 2014,[13] along with other independent broker-dealer and investment advisors including: First Allied on September 25, 2013.;[14] Investors Capital Holdings Ltd. [15] and Summit Brokerage[16] on June 11, 2014 ; JP Turner on June 13, 2014, Girard Securities[17] on March 18, 2015, and VSR Group[18] on May 12, 2015.

On May 25, 2016, Cetera completed a transformation into an independent, privately held organization under parent company, Aretec Group, Inc.[19][20] Through this restructuring process, a new Board of Directors[21] was established.

On May 11, 2016, Cetera announced the launch of its advisory platform, My Advice Architect,[22] the first segment of the firm’s Advice Architect Ecosystem.

In early 2017, Cetera implemented The Advice-Centric Experience, a new strategic blueprint for redefining the delivery of retail financial advice for individuals and families seeking financial well-being.

In July 2018, Genstar Capital announced the intention to acquire the majority interest in the Cetera Financial Group.[23] The transaction was completed in October 2018.[24]

Awards
  • WealthManagement.com Industry Awards (2017)[25]
    • Finalist: Practice Management for Broker-Dealers with 1,000+ Advisors
    • Finalist: Technology for Broker-Dealers with 1,000+ Advisors
  • BISA Technology Awards (2017)[26]
    • Won two Bank Insurance & Securities Association Technology Innovation Awards for DOL DynamIQs and Cetera Fastpath programs

In December 2020, Cetera Advisor Networks, Cetera Advisors, and Cetera Financial Specialists agreed to pay the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) a $1 million fine following allegations that the firms had failed to supervise their dually registered representatives.[27]

References
  1. "Private Company".
  2. "Founded 2010".
  3. "Total Revenue".
  4. "Total Employees".
  5. "In a Shift, Cetera to Gather Its BDs at '18 National Conference | ThinkAdvisor". ThinkAdvisor. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  6. "Member Regulation | FINRA.org". www.finra.org. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  7. Corporation, Securities Investor Protection. "SIPC - Search". www.sipc.org. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  8. Goff, John. "Lightyear wraps up purchase of B-Ds, re-brands as Cetera". www.investmentnews.com. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  9. "ING Sells Three B/Ds | ThinkAdvisor". ThinkAdvisor. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  10. "Cetera Acquires Genworth, Rounds Out Business Mix". Wealth Management. 2012-01-09. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  11. "Cetera's Rebranding: A Savvy Move?".
  12. "Cetera's Rebranding: A Savvy Move?". Wealth Management. 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  13. Driebusch, Corrie (2014-01-16). "RCS Capital to Acquire Cetera Financial for $1.15 Billion". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  14. "First Allied to Be Acquired by RCAP". Financial Planning. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  15. "Investors Capital to be sold for $52.2m - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  16. Kelly, Bruce. "Schorsch snaps up Summit for $49M". www.investmentnews.com. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  17. "Cetera Financial Group To Add Girard Securities". www.fa-mag.com. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  18. "He's At It Again: Schorsch Scoops Up VSR Financial". Wealth Management. 2014-08-06. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  19. Brickley, Peg (2016-03-28). "Cetera Financial Files for Bankruptcy to Complete RCS Workout". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  20. "Cetera Out of Bankruptcy". Wealth Management. 2016-05-25. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  21. "Cetera Completes Board of Directors". www.fa-mag.com. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  22. "Cetera Works With Envestnet to Unify Advisor and Client Technology". Wealth Management. 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  23. Iacurci, Greg. "Genstar Capital buys majority stake in Cetera Financial Group". www.investmentnews.com. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  24. "Cetera builds out recruiting team, advisor support after Genstar deal". Financial Planning. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  25. "2017 Finalists | Wealth Management Awards". events.wealthmanagement.com. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  26. "BISA Technology Innovation Award Past Recipients - Bank Insurance & Securities Association". www.bisanet.org. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  27. "Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent Agreement". brokercheck.org. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
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