Royal Bank of Canada and New York-based J.P. Morgan have signed a definitive agreement pursuant that will see RBC acquire J.P. Morgan’s third party registered investment advisor servicing business (IAS), the companies said Tuesday.

Details of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2010.

When the transaction is complete, IAS will be renamed and become part of RBC Advisor Services, which is a unit of RBC Wealth Management’s U.S. division. RBC Advisor Services specializes in providing custody and clearing services to high performing third party registered investment advisors.

“Growing and enhancing RBC Advisor Services is a strategic priority for our firm, and this acquisition represents an important step in our quest to become the finest investment advisory and wealth management firm in the U.S.,” says John Taft, head of RBC Wealth Management, U.S. division. “Across our multiple business channels, we are focused on serving the high-net-worth segment of the marketplace and IAS shares that focus for registered investment advisors.”

“The acquisition of IAS will expand the breadth and depth of our offering to highly successful third party registered investment advisors, and will enhance our competitive position in the high end of the RIA custody marketplace,” says Mike Kavanagh, chief administrative officer & head, independent business channels at RBC Wealth Management. “The employees and clients of IAS represent a terrific strategic and cultural fit with our firm.”

The acquisition of IAS marks the latest step in RBC Wealth Management’s ongoing expansion in the U.S.

The firm has recruited more than 300 financial consultants this fiscal year, by far the most consultants the firm has ever recruited in a single year, RBC says.

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