Bob Mulholland, second-in-command in Merrill Lynch’s brokerage unit, has left the firm, Registered Rep. has learned. Mulholland’s retirement was announced internally on Oct. 26, according to a firm spokesman. The move is somewhat of a surprise, because Mulholland, co-head of the group’s Americas region, has been with Merrill since 1979 and is considered “a legend” among long-time veterans of the firm.

byDavid A. Gaffen, Editor in Charge