Barclays Lands Wealth Manager from Morgan Stanley

(Reuters) – Barclays Plc has added a veteran former Morgan Stanley Smith Barney manager to its wealth and investment management division in Atlanta, the company said on Monday.

John Houlihan joined the wealth division of the London-based bank in late March after almost two decades at Morgan Stanley. In his new role, Houlihan will be responsible for managing all aspects of the firm's Atlanta office and will be in charge of growing business in the region.

In addition to Atlanta, Barclays also has wealth management offices in Miami and Palm Beach, Florida, which make up the firm's Southeastern presence in the United States.

Houlihan, who started with Morgan Stanley in the early 1990s, spent the past four years as a manager in the Atlanta region after moving to the area in 2008 to oversee several offices. He had also previously managed Morgan Stanley offices in New York City and Connecticut.

Houlihan now reports to Barclays'Steve Houston, managing director and head of sales management for the Americas.

"With his impressive track record for attracting top-performing advisors … we are confident that John will continue to build our Atlanta regional business," Houston said.

Barclays' Wealth and Investment Management division is the largest wealth manager in the UK by client assets. It has $253 billion in total client assets across the globe. The division currently has 13 offices in the country, including its trust company office.