Adviser managing $250 million in assets joins HighTower from Merrill Lynch

Advisers managing $250 million in assets have left Bank of America Merrill Lynch to join the HighTower Advisors. HighTower will launch The Thrush Group, an advisory practice based in Westport, Conn. It will be led by William L. Thrush and Meghan G. Rump, according to a statement from HighTower. "We joined HighTower for its sophisticated platform and client-first approach to wealth management," said Mr. Thrush in the statement. (More: See all the latest moves in InvestmentNews' Advisers on the Move database) The Thrush Group will be the 10th team to join HighTower this year, the statement said. Susan Atran, spokeswoman for Merrill Lynch, confirmed the advisers were previously with Merrill Lynch in Greenwich, Conn., but declined to comment further. According to Mr. Thrush's BrokerCheck profile, he had worked at Merrill Lynch since 2007. Prior to that, he was with UBS Financial Services for more than five years. There are two complaints listed on his profile that have been closed. Ms. Rump's BrokerCheck profile shows a similar background as Mr. Thrush's. She was with UBS for just over a year before joining Merrill Lynch in 2007. She has no complaints listed on her profile.