New Year, Same Issues?

It’s no secret that the securities and investments industry in 2009 will be shaped by the ramifications of 2008′s events. According to a new series of research reports from TowerGroup identifying key trends for the new year, firms operating in the securities and capital markets arena will continue to “tackle with many implications of the credit crisis in 2009, including the deleveraging of positions and mere survival.”

The research also shows that regulation and the retirement crisis are two of the biggest business drivers for retail brokerage and wealth management firms. TowerGroup believes a new age of regulation will result from the financial crisis of 2008, forcing firms to focus on increased oversight of advisors and potentially react to a restructuring of industry regulators. Firms will look to technology to better differentiate client segments and enhance advice programs for an aging population that is largely unprepared for retirement.