US Trust has made a series of hires for its wealth management business.

The most recent was the naming of Brett Rufkahr as marketing executive for its St Louis branch in Missouri. The appointment is part of an ongoing initiative to boost services for high and ultra high net worth clients across the US.

Rufkahr, previously the head of the institutional trust investment unit at TIAA-CREF, will lead six teams at US Trust, which include private client advisors and managers. He reports directly to Larry Otto, the midwest regional investment executive based in St Louis.

"The greater St Louis area is one of the 20 largest areas in the US and has a deep concentration of wealth. It is a key market for US Trust, and we have made a strong commitment to it," Tim Maloney, central division executive, said in a statement.

The appointment comes hot on the heels of several similar appointments across the country, including those of Brian Sharpe, latterly of BlackRock, as market investment executive for the Washington, DC office; Carla Jackson, from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, as portfolio manager in St Louis; David Litvack, from Fitch Ratings, as fixed income strategist in New York City; Lynn Maaske, from US Bancorp, as market investment executive in Minneapolis, and Tom Tagliarini, from SunTrust Banks, as portfolio manager in Tampa.

US Trust operates under Bank of America's Global Wealth & Investment Management unit. It manages $308 billion in client assets.