Merrill Lynch & Co.'s global wealth-management group recently recruited high-producing financial advisor Jay Thornton from Morgan Stanley, added brokers from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and UBS AG, and hired nine former Wachovia Securities advisors.

The addition of the brokers comes after Merrill agreed to be acquired by Bank of America Corp. last month, raising concerns about possible broker defections amid the combination of the two firms. In addition, Merrill's brokers are still awaiting word of Bank of America's retention package.