RBC recruits veteran UBS team with $475M in assets

Robert Loupee, Barbara Pesci and Michael Graziani of the Loupee/Graziani Wealth Management Group joined RBC in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Robert Loupee, Barbara Pesci and Michael Graziani of the Loupee/Graziani Wealth Management Group joined RBC in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

RBC Wealth Management added a veteran UBS team to its roster with more than $475 million in client assets.

The Loupee/Graziani Wealth Management Group, based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, includes advisors Robert Loupee and Michael Graziani and senior client associate Barbara Pesci, according to the firm. The advisors, previously with UBS for nearly a decade, specialize in financial strategies for high-net-worth clients, families and businesses, according to the firm.

Prior to joining UBS in 2011, Loupee and Graziani both got their starts in the industry with Merrill Lynch, FINRA BrokerCheck records show. Loupee, the team’s managing director, spent the first 32 years of his career at Merrill Lynch, while Graziani, senior vice president, joined the industry with Merrill in 1995, according to records.

“We were looking for a firm with a smaller feel and strong culture, but that also shares our focus on the client-advisor relationship,” Loupee says of the team’s move, in a statement. “Additionally, its parent company, Royal Bank of Canada, is known for its financial strength and stability, which will help us provide our clients with the confidence that their assets are in good hands.”

Earlier this month, RBC hired an all-woman advisor group managing $1.2 billion in assets, one of the firm’s biggest recruits of the year.

The perennial contender won the top spot in J.D. Power’s annual survey as the coronavirus makes brand and advisor trust even more important to the industry.

March 26

RBC has added more than $26 billion in combined AUM this year and reported a 112% increase in production hired compared with Q3 2019, according to a spokeswoman.

“We continue attracting the industry’s top talent to RBC Wealth Management, and the Loupee/Graziani WMG is no exception,” Ken Ross, director of RBC’s Pittsburgh complex, said in a statement. “Rob and Mike are high-touch advisors who prioritize building strong client relationships based on trust and personalized service, which is a great fit for our client-first culture.”

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