Wells Fargo re-brands investment banking business

Wells Fargo & Co. said today it has renamed its investment banking and capital markets businesses as Wells Fargo Securities. Wells Fargo combined certain operations under its name with businesses formerly operating under the Wachovia Securities brand under the name Wells Fargo Securities. San Francisco-based Wells Fargo acquired Charlotte, N.C.-based Wachovia last fall. The newly branded Wells Fargo Securities will combine all debt and equity underwriting, mergers and acquisitions, loan syndications, debt and equity sales and trading, tax-exempt products, research and economics and certain hedging products under one division. As part of the name change, Wells Fargo's middle market managers and acquisition advisory firm, Barrington Associates, will become part of Wells Fargo Securities. The bank's real estate capital markets services, Eastdil Secured, will continue to operate under its own name, but offer securities products through Wells Fargo Securities. The newly constituted securities business has two main business lines; investment banking and capital markets and securities and investment group. The investment banking and capital markets business is co-led by Rob Engel and Jonathan Weiss. The securities and investment group is led by John Shrewsberry. Wells Fargo had previously brought the retail brokerage operations of Wachovia Securities under its Wells Fargo Advisors brand.