Bank of America Corp.’s Merrill Lynch has tapped Joseph Holsinger to be the Orange County-based regional director of its Global Wealth and Investment Management division.
He’s based in Laguna Hills and oversees markets in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Hawaii and Guam.
Holsinger is a 25-year industry veteran who most recently led Merrill Lynch operations in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He takes over the regional director’s position from Greg Mech, the former Orange County market president for Bank of America who retired earlier this year.
Mech also was a veteran of Merrill Lynch who took on market president duties after it became part of Bank of America in 2009.
Bank of America recently named Allen Staff as market president here. He adds the post to his duties as regional executive of commercial real estate banking for BofA.
Holsinger will be responsible for nine hubs and some 880 financial advisers at Merrill Lynch.
Merrill Lynch’s southwest region manages $83 billion and generates more than $620 million in revenue, according to the company.
It is a dominant local player, with more than $26 billion under management in the county, which is believed to be the tops in the industry here.
Merrill Lynch has 253 financial advisers at offices in Brea, New-port Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana.
New Offices
One of Holsinger’s first moves was establishing two new hubs in the county.
Jennifer Williams runs the Newport Beach area and Oscar Harrison manages North County operations.
Holsinger has spent the first weeks in his new role meeting with managing directors and other executives. He said his immediate priorities are client service, retaining and attracting top-flight employees and increasing community ties.
“I would like this to be the destination where our whole firm comes to look for leadership talent,” he said.
Client relationships have been tested the past few years as the market fluctuated, Holsinger said. The Merrill Lynch wealth management division is looking to leverage BofA’s trust and private and commercial banking operations.
“We want to be the place for affluent clients who have complex needs,” Holsinger said. “We want to be their destination.”
Holsinger plans to live in South County with his wife Sarah and four children. He is an avid fly fisherman and enjoys running and weightlifting.
