The founders of Sterne, Agee & Leach 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 & Leach Group, Inc. have grown to represent the most prestigious financial conglomerate headquartered in the Southeast.

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 National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) 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 and Leach, Inc. 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 & Leach family. Subsidiaries of Sterne, Agee & Leach Group include:

Sterne, Agee and Leach, Inc., a registered broker-dealer, serving the investment needs of clients since its inception in 1916.  A member of the New York Stock Exchange, the firm has offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina and provides a full array of brokerage services.

Sterne Agee Capital Markets., a registered broker-dealer, providing securities clearing services to introducing firms on a fully disclosed or omnibus basis.  SAL also offers a network of independent contractors located in branch offices as well as various financial institutions across the U.S.

Sterne Agee Asset Management, a registered investment advisor, providing professional fee-based discretionary asset management services to taxable and tax-exempt clients.

The Trust Company of Sterne, Agee & Leach, Inc., 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.

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 nine decades ago.