An Innovative Joint Venture Between Orion Advisor Solutions and Focus Client Solutions Will Add Cash Management and Credit Capabilities to the Orion WealthTech Platform

Rhea-AI Summary

Focus Financial Partners (NASDAQ:FOCS) and Orion Advisor Solutions announced the formation of a joint venture to enhance client services through a comprehensive cash management and credit solutions platform. Focus Client Solutions (FCS) will provide access to a range of financial products, empowering advisors to compete with larger banks. The joint venture aims to integrate services into Orion’s WealthTech platform, offering advisors tools for client relationship management. A beta program is expected by Q1 2021, leading to full launch in summer 2021.

Positive

• The joint venture will enhance Orion's WealthTech platform with cash management and credit solutions.
• Advisors will gain access to a comprehensive range of lending options and cash management capabilities.
• The incorporation of an experienced service team will provide high-touch support for advisors and clients.

Negative

• None.

Joint venture will offer advisors a comprehensive approach to addressing clients' needs via an open-architecture framework

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / January 27, 2021 / Orion Advisor Solutions and Focus Financial Partners Inc. (NASDAQ:FOCS) announced today the formation of an innovative joint venture that will add a competitive array of cash and credit solutions and related services developed by Focus Client Solutions ("FCS") to Orion's comprehensive WealthTech platform.

FCS, a subsidiary of Focus Financial Partners, LLC, has developed relationships with a national network of banks and non-bank lenders to provide these solutions to Focus partner firms. FCS offers access to cash management and lending alternatives for personal, business and nonprofit needs, empowering advisors to compete with private banks and wirehouses. Advisors have access to these capabilities through the FCS credit portal, a powerful, digital client interface. The joint venture will put similar capabilities in the hands of firms on the Orion platform.

"Orion is a proven leader in advisor technology with whom we have a long-standing relationship," said Rudy Adolf, Founder, CEO and Chairman of Focus. "FCS offers a highly innovative approach to meeting the needs of ultra-high net worth and high net worth clients for traditional and specialized banking services. The FCS team manages all aspects of delivering these services, making it extremely convenient for advisors to use them. FCS is a tried and tested solution that we have successfully deployed for our own partner firms. This joint venture is a significant new initiative that leverages the collective expertise of both FCS and Orion. We are very pleased to introduce these value-added capabilities to advisors on Orion's platform, substantially enhancing their ability to offer holistic and highly personalized client services. Focus partner firms, and now firms on Orion's platform, benefit substantially from our scale and purchasing power."

The joint venture will enhance the comprehensive solutions already available through Orion's tech-enabled fiduciary framework. Advisors on the Orion platform will soon have access to the following:

• Lending & Cash Management Capabilities, including access to a range of FDIC-insured deposit programs at competitive rates for clients' portfolio cash and held-away cash balances. Lending options include securities-backed and insurance premium finance lines of credit, commercial and business loans, residential and commercial mortgages, and air and watercraft financing.

• An Experienced Service Team, with more than 125 years of collective banking expertise. The team offers a high touch, interpersonal service model designed to guide advisors and their clients through the entire lending and deposit life cycle.

• Confidentiality and Protection of Client Relationships, through lending and deposit programs reviewed and delivered by a network of vetted and tested partners that are bound by regulatory privacy and data security standards.

Orion anticipates that this joint venture will include a robust, end-to-end experience for both advisors and clients. Once the joint venture's services are fully integrated into the Orion platform, advisors will be able to connect a client's cash deposits and loans to their financial plans via Orion Planning. Ultimately, advisors will be able to monitor and report on a client's entire financial portfolio through Orion's dynamic reporting capabilities.

By using innovative technology to connect clients' cash and credit needs with their planning and investment management experiences, this joint venture will have a game-changing impact on an advisor's ability to serve and retain clients.

"The ability for RIAs to offer competitive banking and cash management solutions through our platform will create an added ‘stickiness' to our advisors' businesses, driving client loyalty by streamlining their entire wealth management experience," said Eric Clarke, founder and CEO of Orion. "In a digital service environment where RIAs go toe-to-toe with big banks for new business, we can now arm independent advisors with a huge equalizer."

A limited number of advisors will have access to these services through the Orion platform in a beta program starting at the end of the first quarter, with a full release planned for this summer. To learn more about this joint venture, or to apply for Orion's beta program, visit http://www.orionadvisortech.com/lendingandcashmanagement.

About Orion Advisor Solutions
Orion Advisor Solutions is the premier provider of the tech-enabled fiduciary process that transforms the advisor-client relationship by enabling financial advisors to Prospect, Plan, Invest, and Achieve within a single, connected, technology-driven experience. Combined, our brand entities, Orion Advisor Tech, Orion Portfolio Solutions, Brinker Capital Investments, and CLS Investments, create a complete yet modular offering that empowers firms to seamlessly attract new clients; connect goals more meaningfully to investment strategies and outcomes; and ultimately track progress toward each investor's unique definition of financial success. As of December 31, 2020, Orion supports more than 2,100 advisory firms with approximately $1.4 trillion in assets under administration and an additional $48 billion of combined platform assets (Orion Portfolio Solutions and Brinker Capital) on the open architecture TAMP, making Orion the platform of choice for all growth-focused advisory firms looking to strengthen their client relationships, gain a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace, and build strong, profitable businesses. Learn more at www.orion.com.

About Focus Financial Partners Inc.
Focus Financial Partners Inc. is a leading partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms. Focus provides access to best practices, resources, and continuity planning for its partner firms who serve individuals, families, employers and institutions with comprehensive wealth management services. Focus partner firms maintain their operational independence, while they benefit from the synergies, scale, economics and best practices offered by Focus to achieve their business objectives. For more information about Focus, please visit www.focusfinancialpartners.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect Focus' current views with respect to certain current and future events. These forward-looking statements are and will be subject to many risks, uncertainties and factors relating to Focus' operations and business environment, including, without limitation, uncertainty surrounding the current COVID-19 pandemic, which may cause future events to be materially different from these forward-looking statements or anything implied therein. Any forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Focus on the date of this release. Focus does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that any statements expressed or implied therein will not be realized. Additional information on risk factors that could affect Focus may be found in Focus' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investor and Media Contacts

Focus Financial Partners
Tina Madon
Senior Vice President
Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
P: +1-646-813-2909
tmadon@focuspartners.com

Orion Advisor Solutions
Company Contact:
Kelly Waltrich
Chief Marketing Officer, Orion
+1-610-304-6538
kelly@orion.com

Media Contact:
Jimmy Moock
Gregory FCA for Orion
+1-610-348-7849
orion@gregoryfca.com

SOURCE: Focus Financial Partners

View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/626098/An-Innovative-Joint-Venture-Between-Orion-Advisor-Solutions-and-Focus-Client-Solutions-Will-Add-Cash-Management-and-Credit-Capabilities-to-the-Orion-WealthTech-Platform

FAQ

What is the significance of the joint venture between Focus Financial Partners and Orion Advisor Solutions for FOCS investors?

The joint venture enhances the service offerings of Focus Financial Partners, potentially increasing client retention and attracting new advisors, which may positively impact FOCS stock.

When will the services from the Orion and Focus joint venture be available?

A beta program for advisors is expected to launch at the end of the first quarter of 2021, with a full release planned for summer 2021.

What kind of solutions will the joint venture provide to advisors on Orion's platform?

The joint venture will provide access to cash management and lending options, including securities-backed loans and commercial mortgages.

How does the joint venture impact the competitiveness of advisors using Orion's platform?

It allows advisors to offer competitive banking and cash management solutions, enhancing their ability to serve high-net-worth clients.