One more article talking about the regionals: http://www.thestreet.com/story/10463984/1/can-regional-brokers-keep-outperforming.html

Stifel must be really bogged down with signing up new FAs.  Our entire office filled out all the pre-hire paperwork and was scheduled to go to St. Louis last November.  We have been placed on indefinite hold for the visit now.  We heard they were having issues with the transfer of the 75 FAs from Butler Wick.  Does anybody have a feel how big Stifel wants to get and how fast.  We’re not sure we wan to wait on them any longer and start looking at somebody else.