(November 8 – 10:20 ET) – Bank of Nova Scotia has gone live this week with i:PARTNER, a service that attempts to combine the efficiency and flexibility of an online brokerage with traditional full-service advice.

i:PARTNER offers investors access to advice from a ScotiaMcLeod investment executive, but investors can now choose whether they want to trade through their advisor or online. The service also offers:

  • a seamless link between brokerage and banking accounts;
  • online and telephone access to account information;
  • online access to market data and analysis on almost 8,700 stocks;
  • proprietary and third-party research including access to U.S. equity research covering over 1,500 companies; and
  • a mix of fee and transaction pricing for clients with investments over and above $75,000.

The Scotiabank initiative puts it on the leading edge in what many brokerage executives consider the future of the investment business — full-service online, a model pioneered by Charles Schwab in Canada.

“Clients told us what they wanted — a place where they could get advice from an investment executive, trade online and have access to outstanding proprietary research with practical online analysis from a multitude of sources,” said James Werry, managing director ScotiaMcLeod. “We are meeting these needs and redefining the brokerage business with i:PARTNER.”