A spike in the proportion of RIA-to-RIA deals in the first half of this year may signify that the advisory field is starting to come into its own.“I think what we are seeing is the next stage of maturity,” says Mark Tibergien, CEO of Pershing Advisor Solutions. “What advisors are realizing is that this business is one that lends itself to active ownership better than passive ownership.” While the total amount of M&A activity declined, the percent of deals that were between RIAs increased to 67% between January and June of this year from 37% for all of 2012, according to Pershing’s mid-year deals report, The Powerful Potential of the RIA-to-RIA Deal. This is the seventh year that Pershing, the advisory services business owned by Bank of New York Mellon Corp., has released the study.

via Financial Advisor Mergers and Acquisitions | Financial Planning.