About Sterne Agee

Sterne Agee Financial Services, Inc. is a full service broker-dealer registered in all 50 states, and member of FINRA/SIPC. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Sterne Agee Group, Inc., we are part of a proud tradition of serving the investment needs of clients that dates back to 1901.  Sterne Agee trading floor, c. 1936 As a full-service brokerage firm we can offer clients a total investment solution--from equity trading to wealth management. We leverage the resources of the Sterne Agee family of companies to provide a high level of expertise and broad range of products and services to meet investors' needs. Subsidiaries of Sterne Agee Group, Inc. include: Sterne, Agee and Leach, Inc., a registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC, provides investment services to individuals, corporations, municipalities, and other public and private institutions. Sterne Agee Financial Services, Inc., a registered broker-dealer and member FINRA, serves a nationwide network of Independent Registered Representatives in branch offices and financial institutions. Sterne Agee Capital Markets, Inc., a registered broker-dealer and member FINRA, serves as a reintroducing firm for our clearing services to broker-dealers nationwide. Sterne Agee Asset Management, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor, provides professional discretionary asset management services to taxable and tax-exempt clients. The Trust Company of Sterne, Agee & Leach, Inc., was established to meet the demands of individuals and institutions for higher levels of personal service and a broad selection of high-quality investments within a fiduciary environment. The Sterne Agee History The founders of Sterne Agee began serving the investment needs of individuals and institutions in 1901. They established the highest standards for stability, integrity and innovation. Today, the proud tradition of this privately-owned firm continues. The companies of Sterne Agee have grown to represent one of the most prestigious privately-owned financial conglomerates in the country. The firm's founder, Mervyn H. Sterne, was recognized as one of the leading financial advisors to southeastern investors, corporations and government entities for over four decades. Mr. Sterne joined forces with George B. Ward, twice mayor of Birmingham, to form Ward, Sterne & Co. They were joined by Rucker Agee in 1919 and two years later Edmund C. Leach founded a Montgomery, Alabama office for the firm. In 1936, the group joined the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) and upon the death of George Ward in 1940, the firm name was changed to Sterne, Agee & Leach. In 1955, Henry S. Lynn acquired a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. The same year, Alonzo H. Lee became an associate member of the American Stock Exchange. The partnership was changed to a corporation in 1964 and the firm became Sterne, Agee & Leach, Inc. Ten years later it acquired the business of Shropshire, Frazier & Co., an investment banking firm in Mobile, Alabama. Sterne Agee was further strengthened in 1990 through consolidation with First Birmingham Securities Corporation, another Birmingham firm founded in 1972 by James S. Holbrook, Jr. By 1991, the firm had offices in Birmingham, Mobile, and Montgomery, Alabama and in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia. As the organization continued to successfully expand, a holding company was formed to share the strengths of the companies in the Sterne Agee family. Today, the reputation that Mervyn H. Sterne secured for the company in Alabama has spread through the national financial community. Through all of our efforts, we are committed to continuing the tradition of excellence initiated by our founders more than a century ago.