Ohio RIA with $4 billion in assets to join Focus Financial

Bartlett & Co., a Cincinnati, Ohio-based registered investment adviser managing more than $4 billion in assets, has joined Focus Financial Partners. Terms of the arrangement, in which Focus took an equity stake in Bartlett and Bartlett took a stake in Focus, were not disclosed. The deal is expected close April 1. Bartlett's roots go back to 1898, when founder Benjamin Bartlett became a member of the New York Stock Exchange. The regional brokerage firm became one of the first to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the company said in a release. In 2007, it appointed its first woman president and CEO, Kelley Downing. The firm is rebranding itself as Bartlett Wealth Management to better communicate its core services, the firm said, and it is expanding its leadership team from 11 to 17 principals. "With access to Focus' resources and capital, we can secure a smooth path of succession for our company and our talented next generation leaders while providing continuity for our clients," Ms. Downing said. (More: Focus Financial inks record RIA deal with SCS Financial)