Zions Bancorporation subsidiary answers demand for private-client services. In a response to growing demand for wealth-management services in the retail-banking footprint of its corporate parent Zions Bancorporation, Contango Capital Advisors, has recruited five new wealth managers in California, Idaho and Nevada.

Berkeley, Calif.-based Contango is an investment-advisory subsidiary of Zions, a Salt Lake City, Utah-based holding company that owns eight banks and nine other financial-service firms. The banks do business in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington.

Two more

Contango is the sole recipient of wealth-management referrals from Zions' subsidiaries.

"One of the most important things we do at Contango is to hire individuals who have the skills and experience to help individuals, families and closely held businesses determine their wealth-planning objectives and then work with our investment team to develop portfolios designed to meet those specific goals," says Contango's president David Magee. "I'm very happy today to welcome five outstanding, new wealth managers who fit this bill perfectly."

Of the five new recruits, Brett Allred, a former financial advisor with San Diego-based Capital Management, and Marie Wiseman, previously a private-client advisor with Detroit-based Comerica Bank, will work with the customers of Zions' California Bank & Trust subsidiary, which is also based in San Diego. Kathy Maxwell, formerly an advisor with Banc of America Investment Services in Idaho, will focus on the customers of Salt Lake City-based Zions First National Bank.

Daniel Whitehead, founder of Las Vegas-based Whitehead Wealth Management, and Sam Mineo, a partner of the same firm, will work with the customers of Las Vegas-based, Zions-owned Nevada State Bank.

Contago had these five jobs listed on the employment page of its website a few months ago. It still has two more wealth-manager slots to fill.

Contango manages about $1.2 billion, primarily for high-net-worth clients and other individual investors. -FWR

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