MEMPHIS, Tenn. (February 22, 2011) — Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. has announced that veteran financial executive Rusty Clark has joined the firm as a managing director. Clark, formerly with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Columbus and Toledo, will oversee Morgan Keegan’s Private Client Group expansion in Ohio. Currently based in Centerville, Ohio (859-291-9535), Clark’s immediate responsibilities include hiring financial advisors and support staff for the planned Morgan Keegan office in Dayton.
"Morgan Keegan is excited about expanding our footprint and bringing our comprehensive wealth management services to investors throughout Ohio," said John Carson, Chief Executive Officer of the full service investment firm. "For more than four decades, our guiding principal of putting the needs of our clients first has been the cornerstone of our success. We look forward to building our brand in Ohio and are fortunate to have someone of Rusty’s experience and talents leading our retail efforts there."
Clark’s arrival at Morgan Keegan signals a commitment to growth in the Midwest for the firm, which already has offices in Indianapolis and St. Louis. The firm’s Private Client Group has more than 300 offices in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. and Texas, and brings its notable expertise in bond underwriting and equity research to retail investors in Ohio. Morgan Keegan is the 9th leading underwriter of municipal bonds in the nation and a top ten underwriter of bonds for airports, higher education, housing, schools and public utilities, according to Thomson Reuters. The firm’s award-winning equity research analysts have been recognized among the nation’s most talented by The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times. Morgan Keegan also provides comprehensive investment banking services to middle-market companies, private equity firms and venture capital funds throughout the U.S.
Prior to joining Morgan Keegan, Clark was the Columbus-Toledo complex manager for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, where he oversaw seven offices and 135 advisors. Prior to that, he was a complex manager for Smith Barney in Dayton and, before that, a producing manager and financial advisor for Merrill Lynch in Huntington, West Virginia. He started his career as a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch in 1990. Clark holds a BS degree in business administration and finance from West Virginia State University.
"Morgan Keegan has dedicated significant resources to our Ohio expansion," said Dick Ferguson, executive managing director and president of the firm’s Private Client Group. "Rusty is very well-known throughout Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus and we believe he will be able to put together a solid team of the best financial advisors in the area to bring to bear the full scope of products and services Morgan Keegan has to offer."
About Morgan Keegan & Company Inc.
Morgan Keegan & Company Inc., one of the nation’s largest regional full-service brokerage and investment banking firms, is the securities brokerage arm of Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE: RF). Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., Morgan Keegan serves individual and institutional investors in over 300 offices in 20 states. Additional information about Morgan Keegan and Regions — a member of the S&P 100 Index — can be found here and at www.regions.com.
Contact:
Eric Bran
Media Relations
Morgan Keegan & Co.
901.524.4114
