Merit Financial Acquires $1.1B Moldenhauer in Western New York
Merit Financial Advisors expands its Northeast footprint by acquiring Buffalo-area Moldenhauer & Associates, marking its 10th former Commonwealth team addition.
Merit Financial Advisors, a Georgia-based registered investment advisory firm, has acquired Moldenhauer & Associates, a long-established Buffalo-area wealth management practice overseeing approximately $1.1 billion in client assets, the firms announced October 8, 2026.
The deal marks Merit's 10th acquisition of a team that previously operated under Commonwealth Financial Network, underscoring a deliberate strategy to absorb former Commonwealth advisors as that broker-dealer landscape has shifted. Western New York becomes a strengthened regional hub for Merit as a result of the transaction.
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Moldenhauer & Associates brings decades of client relationships in the greater Buffalo market to Merit's expanding national platform. The acquisition is positioned by Merit as a continuity play for Moldenhauer clients, offering access to broader resources while preserving the advisory relationships they have built with the existing team.
Merit has pursued an aggressive growth-through-acquisition model, using its Georgia headquarters as a base while building out a geographically diverse footprint across the United States. The addition of a $1.1 billion book of business in upstate New York represents a material step in that regional diversification effort.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Continue reading at Banking & Financial Services.
