InvestmentNews reported on October 30, 2026, in its wirehouse moves roundup, that J.P. Morgan Advisors has brought in Linda Patel to lead its Southeast territory, which covers Florida and Georgia. AdvisorHub had reported the appointment earlier, on October 27, 2026, citing an announcement that Patel had joined the unit as head of the Southeast territory, based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
According to AdvisorHub's account of the announcement, Patel oversees about 80 advisors across Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Miami and Atlanta. Those figures are headcounts. The sources reviewed do not give assets under management for the territory. Patel reports to Mollie Colavita, head of J.P. Morgan Advisors, and succeeds Janet Sweeney, a 40-year industry veteran who retired earlier in 2026, AdvisorHub reported.
AdvisorHub reported that Patel had led Merrill's Texas region since 2018, overseeing the firm's ultra-high net worth brokers there. She left Merrill in July 2025 as part of a management reorganization, the same month Merrill Private Wealth consolidated six regions into four, according to AdvisorHub.
AdvisorHub also cited BrokerCheck records showing that Patel began her career in 1998 at a predecessor of UBS PaineWebber and joined Merrill through a predecessor firm later that year. The career timeline in this article rests on that BrokerCheck citation, and no other source reviewed adds to it.
AdvisorHub describes J.P. Morgan Advisors as the traditional brokerage unit of the New York bank. A SmartAsset profile describes J.P. Morgan Securities as the main wealth management arm of JPMorgan Chase, headquartered in New York City. The firm's wealth management site says J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is a registered broker-dealer and investment adviser and a member of FINRA and SIPC.
For recruiters and team leaders, a regional head sits between national leadership and the advisors in the field, so changes in that seat can affect how territory recruiting, retention and team placement are handled. A leader with a long regional record at Merrill is the kind of appointment that tends to draw attention from advisors weighing their own options.
The sources reviewed do not describe planned changes to the territory's structure, team additions or further appointments under Patel. Any further detail would need to come from the firm or from the outlets that covered the announcement.