Merrill Lynch Leads Barron's ''Top 100 Financial Advisers'' List for Fifth Consecutive Year

For the fifth consecutive year, Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER) has topped Barron’s annual list of the "Top 100 Financial Advisers,” with 23 advisors named in the rankings, more than any other firm. The list, part of an April 21 cover story on how advisors in the industry are navigating current challenging market conditions, has been published since 2004. "The consistent top ranking of our advisors since the inception of the Barron’s list is a strong testament to our ability to attract, cultivate and retain the highest quality advisors,” said Robert J. McCann, president of Global Wealth Management at Merrill Lynch. "This recognition once again differentiates us from our competitors and, we believe, underscores the fact that our wealth management business continues to set the standard for the industry. I want to congratulate all of our advisors on this year’s list as well as the 16,660 Merrill Lynch financial advisors who provide outstanding advice and guidance to our clients around the world.” The rankings for the annual Barron’s list were compiled by The Winner’s Circle LLC. From over 7,000 nominees, the list is narrowed based on qualitative criteria, including but not limited to having a minimum of seven years’ financial services experience, acceptable compliance records, client retention reports and customer satisfaction. The 23 Merrill Lynch Advisors Among Barron's 2008 Top 100:     Phil Scott   Bellevue, WA August Cenname Columbus, OH John Erdmann Greenwich, CT Raj Sharma Boston, MA Robert Stulberg Bloomfield Hills, MI Rod Westmoreland Atlanta, GA Saly Glassman Blue Bell, PA Patrick Dwyer Miami, FL Louis Chiavacci Coral Gables, FL David Hou Century City, CA Mark Sear Century City, CA Thomas J. Keegan New York, NY William Corbellini Dallas, TX James Hulburd San Francisco, CA Reza Zafari Century City, CA Richard Jones Century City, CA Joseph Evelo Cincinnati, OH Dean Trindle Cincinnati, OH Mark Pollard Plainsboro, NJ John Barrett New York, NY John Kulhavi Farmington Hills, MI John Olson New York, NY Nestor Vicknair Houston, TX Merrill Lynch is one of the world's leading wealth management, capital markets and advisory companies with offices in 40 countries and territories and total client assets of approximately $1.6 trillion. As an investment bank, it is a leading global trader and underwriter of securities and derivatives across a broad range of asset classes and serves as a strategic advisor to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals worldwide. Merrill Lynch owns approximately half of BlackRock, one of the world’s largest publicly traded investment management companies with more than $1 trillion in assets under management. For more information on Merrill Lynch, please visit www.ml.com.