Bosses Rein In Banker Who Golfs With Obama
<ADDRESS class="byline author vcard">By SUSANNE CRAIG</ADDRESS></HEADER>
Doug Mills/The New York TimesRobert Wolf, left, chairman of UBS in the Americas, is among the leading fund-raisers for President Obama?s campaign.
One of the biggest banks in the world wants the president?s favorite banker muzzled.
The banker, Robert Wolf, a top <ORG idsrc="NYSE" value="UBS%%%business,technology:::More information about UBS A.G:::http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/ubs_ag/index.html|||dealbook:::More information about UBS A.G:::http://dealbook.on.nytimes.com/public/overview?symbol=UBS"><ALT idsrc="NYSE" value="UBS A.G" -code=""></ALT>UBS</ORG> executive in New York, is among
<ALT idsrc="nyt-per" value="Obama, Barack" -code=""></ALT>President Obama</PERSON>?s leading fund-raisers, building more than $500,000 for his re-election so far this year.</P>A regular presence at big campaign fund-raisers, Mr. Wolf, who is 50, <CLASSIFIER class=Topic idsrc="nyt-classifier" value="travel::::::http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/golf/overview.html|||realestate::::::http://topics.nytimes.com/top/great-homes-and-destinations/lifestyles/golf/index.html" type="Topic"><ALT idsrc="nyt-classifier" value="Golf" -code=""></ALT>golfs</CLASSIFIER> and vacations with Mr. Obama and is known for e-mailing friends photos of himself with the president
While such a close relationship might have been envied by other bankers in 2008, when much of Wall Street was infatuated with Mr. Obama and donated heavily to his presidential bid, it has been making other UBS executives uneasy of late.
The president?s relationship with financial executives has been decidedly chilly after some critical comments about bankers and the administration?s push on <CLASSIFIER class=Topic idsrc="nyt-classifier" value="automobiles,business,college,dealbook,dining,education,fashion,garden,giving,health,jobs,magazine,movies,multimedia,nyregion,obituaries,realestate,science,sports,style,technology,theater,travel,us,washington,weekinreview,world:::More articles about financial regulatory reform.:::http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/credit_crisis/financial_regulatory_reform/index.html" type="Topic"><ALT idsrc="nyt-classifier" value="Financial Regulatory Reform" -code=""></ALT>financial regulation</CLASSIFIER>.
With media reports pointing out that one of the bank?s top executives is also one of the Obama campaign?s top bundlers ? a word that one UBS executive said ?makes people?s hair stand on end? inside the bank ? the Swiss banking giant has decided to take an unusual step.
The bank?s powerful group executive board in <LOCATION location-code="travel:::Go to the Zurich Travel Guide.:::http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/switzerland/zurich/overview.html" code-source="nyt-geo"><ALT idsrc="nyt-geo" value="Zurich (Switzerland)" -code=""></ALT>Zurich</LOCATION> recently presented Mr. Wolf with an edict directing him to report all his media inquiries to the firm?s press office. Since then, most of the requests to speak to Mr. Wolf have been rejected, according to people briefed on the situation, resulting in a much dimmer limelight for Mr. Wolf.
The move to muzzle Mr. Wolf is unlikely on its own to hinder his ability to raise money, even if he may have to do it more quietly than before. Mr. Obama is raising far less on Wall Street than he did in 2008, and
<ALT idsrc="nyt-per" value="Romney, Mitt" -code=""></ALT>Mitt Romney</PERSON> is enlisting a number of big donors there.</P>Yet the contretemps within UBS may be more about office politics than national politics. After a series of setbacks, including a $2 billion loss blamed on a rogue trader in <LOCATION location-code="travel:::Go to the London Travel Guide.:::http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/britain/england/london/overview.html" code-source="nyt-geo"><ALT idsrc="nyt-geo" value="London (England)" -code=""></ALT>London</LOCATION>, the bank is struggling to turn itself around.
Several executives, most notably Robert McCann, have been jockeying for a bigger role in running the bank. Mr. McCann was elevated recently, while Mr. Wolf lost some responsibilities.
Mr. McCann, 54, who is chief executive of UBS in the Americas, and Mr. Wolf, who is chairman of the Americas, do not get along, according to people inside the bank.
Largely through his relationship with the president, Mr. Wolf has become the public face of UBS in the <LOCATION location-code="travel:::Go to the United States Travel Guide.:::http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/overview.html" code-source="nyt-geo"><ALT idsrc="nyt-geo" value="United States" -code=""></ALT>United States</LOCATION>, even though Mr. McCann, a former <ORG idsrc="nyt-org" value="automobiles,business,college,dealbook,dining,education,fashion,garden,giving,health,jobs,magazine,movies,multimedia,nyregion,obituaries,realestate,science,sports,style,technology,theater,travel,us,washington,weekinreview,world:::More articles about Merrill Lynch & Co.:::http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/merrill_lynch_and_company/index.html"><ALT idsrc="nyt-org" value="Merrill Lynch & Co" -code=""></ALT>Merrill Lynch</ORG> executive, now outranks him.
?This stuff is right out of the movie ?Mean Girls? but it involves grown men,? said one person with knowledge of the bickering who declined to be identified commenting on an internal matter.
Mr. McCann?s anger over Mr. Wolf?s public image has been brewing for months. In late March, the executive fired off an e-mail to a number of people at UBS discussing what responsibilities Mr. Wolf should have. Recipients were surprised to find details of Mr. Wolf?s compensation at the bottom of the message.
The e-mail showed that the executive made a base salary of $900,000, according to people who viewed it. It is not clear whether his overall compensation was included in the e-mail, but the banker makes more than $5 million a year, according to several people briefed on the matter.
The tension within the bank boiled over after Mr. Wolf found himself profiled in a number of media reports. The <ORG idsrc="nyt-org" value="nosection:::More articles about the Wall Street Journal.:::http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/w/wall_street_journal/index.html"><ALT idsrc="nyt-org" value="Wall Street Journal" -code=""></ALT>Wall Street Journal</ORG> in April called him ?A ?Fat Cat? with the President?s Ear.?
A few weeks later Mr. Wolf was presented with an e-mail reminding him of the firm?s policy on media relations, which his bosses thought he had violated. That document contained specific language outlining what was expected of his relationship with the media.
?You will clear any and all communications with the press as far in advance as possible,? the directive to Mr. Wolf read. ?With respect to activities outside UBS you will, on a best-efforts basis, keep corporate communications informed.?
A UBS spokeswoman, Karina Byrne, said, ?All employees of UBS are subject to specific guidelines when speaking to the media.? Through Ms. Byrne, Mr. Wolf and Mr. McCann declined to comment.
Mr. Wolf and Mr. Obama met in late 2006 at a reception held at the offices of the billionaire investor
<ALT idsrc="nyt-per" value="Soros, George" -code=""></ALT>George Soros</PERSON>. The two became fast friends, a relationship that deepened during the financial crisis. According to the 2011 book ?Confidence Men? by
<ALT idsrc="nyt-per" value="Suskind, Ron" -code=""></ALT>Ron Suskind</PERSON>, many were looking to get close to Mr. Obama by March 2008.</P>?But Wolf had been there, a true believer, before the senator won the nation?s popularity contest,? Mr. Suskind wrote. ?That counted for a lot.?
And as some other Wall Street supporters have since turned against the president, Mr. Wolf continues to stand by him.
During the years when Mr. Wolf was growing closer to Mr. Obama, Mr. McCann?s star was rising at UBS. Mr. McCann was hired by UBS in 2009 to run the firm?s wealth management unit after spending nearly 25 years at Merrill Lynch, and is credited with turning around that unit.
Then, in what is widely considered a stroke of good fortune for him, Sergio Ermotti was appointed chief executive late last year.
The two executives have known each other for years, dating back to their days at Merrill. Mr. Ermotti soon asked Mr. McCann to be the chief executive of UBS Americas.
Around this time, Mr. Wolf?s office was moved several blocks away from the bank?s main <LOCATION location-code="realestate:::Find Real Estate listings and community news for New York City:::http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/" code-source="nyt-geo"><ALT idsrc="nyt-geo" value="Manhattan (NYC)" -code=""></ALT>Manhattan</LOCATION> location. He also lost responsibility for community and government affairs. While some people at UBS see these moves as a demotion, others argue that it more closely aligns his title and responsibility with what he does, which is to drum up investment banking business for UBS.
Mr. McCann is no stranger to internal politics. At Merrill, he sometimes clashed with the firm?s chief executive,
<ALT idsrc="nyt-per" value="Thain, John A" -code=""></ALT>John A. Thain</PERSON>. In 2008, Mr. Thain held a firmwide meeting to discuss Merrill?s sale to <ORG idsrc="NYSE" value="BAC%%%business,technology:::More information about Bank of America Corporation:::http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/bank_of_america_corporation/index.html|||dealbook:::More information about Bank of America Corporation:::http://dealbook.on.nytimes.com/public/overview?symbol=BAC"><ALT idsrc="NYSE" value="Bank of America Corporation" -code=""></ALT>Bank of America</ORG>, and was asked if a newspaper report saying Mr. McCann would lead wealth management at the combined company was true.</P>?Well, Bob, can you tell us about what is in today?s paper?? Mr. Thain said, staring at Mr. McCann, implying that he leaked the news, according to several attendees. Turning red, Mr. McCann did not respond, these people say.
<ADDRESS class="byline author vcard">By SUSANNE CRAIG</ADDRESS></HEADER>
One of the biggest banks in the world wants the president?s favorite banker muzzled.
The banker, Robert Wolf, a top <ORG idsrc="NYSE" value="UBS%%%business,technology:::More information about UBS A.G:::http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/ubs_ag/index.html|||dealbook:::More information about UBS A.G:::http://dealbook.on.nytimes.com/public/overview?symbol=UBS"><ALT idsrc="NYSE" value="UBS A.G" -code=""></ALT>UBS</ORG> executive in New York, is among
<ALT idsrc="nyt-per" value="Obama, Barack" -code=""></ALT>President Obama</PERSON>?s leading fund-raisers, building more than $500,000 for his re-election so far this year.</P>A regular presence at big campaign fund-raisers, Mr. Wolf, who is 50, <CLASSIFIER class=Topic idsrc="nyt-classifier" value="travel::::::http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/golf/overview.html|||realestate::::::http://topics.nytimes.com/top/great-homes-and-destinations/lifestyles/golf/index.html" type="Topic"><ALT idsrc="nyt-classifier" value="Golf" -code=""></ALT>golfs</CLASSIFIER> and vacations with Mr. Obama and is known for e-mailing friends photos of himself with the president
While such a close relationship might have been envied by other bankers in 2008, when much of Wall Street was infatuated with Mr. Obama and donated heavily to his presidential bid, it has been making other UBS executives uneasy of late.
The president?s relationship with financial executives has been decidedly chilly after some critical comments about bankers and the administration?s push on <CLASSIFIER class=Topic idsrc="nyt-classifier" value="automobiles,business,college,dealbook,dining,education,fashion,garden,giving,health,jobs,magazine,movies,multimedia,nyregion,obituaries,realestate,science,sports,style,technology,theater,travel,us,washington,weekinreview,world:::More articles about financial regulatory reform.:::http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/credit_crisis/financial_regulatory_reform/index.html" type="Topic"><ALT idsrc="nyt-classifier" value="Financial Regulatory Reform" -code=""></ALT>financial regulation</CLASSIFIER>.
With media reports pointing out that one of the bank?s top executives is also one of the Obama campaign?s top bundlers ? a word that one UBS executive said ?makes people?s hair stand on end? inside the bank ? the Swiss banking giant has decided to take an unusual step.
The bank?s powerful group executive board in <LOCATION location-code="travel:::Go to the Zurich Travel Guide.:::http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/switzerland/zurich/overview.html" code-source="nyt-geo"><ALT idsrc="nyt-geo" value="Zurich (Switzerland)" -code=""></ALT>Zurich</LOCATION> recently presented Mr. Wolf with an edict directing him to report all his media inquiries to the firm?s press office. Since then, most of the requests to speak to Mr. Wolf have been rejected, according to people briefed on the situation, resulting in a much dimmer limelight for Mr. Wolf.
The move to muzzle Mr. Wolf is unlikely on its own to hinder his ability to raise money, even if he may have to do it more quietly than before. Mr. Obama is raising far less on Wall Street than he did in 2008, and
<ALT idsrc="nyt-per" value="Romney, Mitt" -code=""></ALT>Mitt Romney</PERSON> is enlisting a number of big donors there.</P>Yet the contretemps within UBS may be more about office politics than national politics. After a series of setbacks, including a $2 billion loss blamed on a rogue trader in <LOCATION location-code="travel:::Go to the London Travel Guide.:::http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/britain/england/london/overview.html" code-source="nyt-geo"><ALT idsrc="nyt-geo" value="London (England)" -code=""></ALT>London</LOCATION>, the bank is struggling to turn itself around.
Several executives, most notably Robert McCann, have been jockeying for a bigger role in running the bank. Mr. McCann was elevated recently, while Mr. Wolf lost some responsibilities.
Mr. McCann, 54, who is chief executive of UBS in the Americas, and Mr. Wolf, who is chairman of the Americas, do not get along, according to people inside the bank.
Largely through his relationship with the president, Mr. Wolf has become the public face of UBS in the <LOCATION location-code="travel:::Go to the United States Travel Guide.:::http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/overview.html" code-source="nyt-geo"><ALT idsrc="nyt-geo" value="United States" -code=""></ALT>United States</LOCATION>, even though Mr. McCann, a former <ORG idsrc="nyt-org" value="automobiles,business,college,dealbook,dining,education,fashion,garden,giving,health,jobs,magazine,movies,multimedia,nyregion,obituaries,realestate,science,sports,style,technology,theater,travel,us,washington,weekinreview,world:::More articles about Merrill Lynch & Co.:::http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/merrill_lynch_and_company/index.html"><ALT idsrc="nyt-org" value="Merrill Lynch & Co" -code=""></ALT>Merrill Lynch</ORG> executive, now outranks him.
?This stuff is right out of the movie ?Mean Girls? but it involves grown men,? said one person with knowledge of the bickering who declined to be identified commenting on an internal matter.
Mr. McCann?s anger over Mr. Wolf?s public image has been brewing for months. In late March, the executive fired off an e-mail to a number of people at UBS discussing what responsibilities Mr. Wolf should have. Recipients were surprised to find details of Mr. Wolf?s compensation at the bottom of the message.
The e-mail showed that the executive made a base salary of $900,000, according to people who viewed it. It is not clear whether his overall compensation was included in the e-mail, but the banker makes more than $5 million a year, according to several people briefed on the matter.
The tension within the bank boiled over after Mr. Wolf found himself profiled in a number of media reports. The <ORG idsrc="nyt-org" value="nosection:::More articles about the Wall Street Journal.:::http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/w/wall_street_journal/index.html"><ALT idsrc="nyt-org" value="Wall Street Journal" -code=""></ALT>Wall Street Journal</ORG> in April called him ?A ?Fat Cat? with the President?s Ear.?
A few weeks later Mr. Wolf was presented with an e-mail reminding him of the firm?s policy on media relations, which his bosses thought he had violated. That document contained specific language outlining what was expected of his relationship with the media.
?You will clear any and all communications with the press as far in advance as possible,? the directive to Mr. Wolf read. ?With respect to activities outside UBS you will, on a best-efforts basis, keep corporate communications informed.?
A UBS spokeswoman, Karina Byrne, said, ?All employees of UBS are subject to specific guidelines when speaking to the media.? Through Ms. Byrne, Mr. Wolf and Mr. McCann declined to comment.
Mr. Wolf and Mr. Obama met in late 2006 at a reception held at the offices of the billionaire investor
<ALT idsrc="nyt-per" value="Soros, George" -code=""></ALT>George Soros</PERSON>. The two became fast friends, a relationship that deepened during the financial crisis. According to the 2011 book ?Confidence Men? by
<ALT idsrc="nyt-per" value="Suskind, Ron" -code=""></ALT>Ron Suskind</PERSON>, many were looking to get close to Mr. Obama by March 2008.</P>?But Wolf had been there, a true believer, before the senator won the nation?s popularity contest,? Mr. Suskind wrote. ?That counted for a lot.?
And as some other Wall Street supporters have since turned against the president, Mr. Wolf continues to stand by him.
During the years when Mr. Wolf was growing closer to Mr. Obama, Mr. McCann?s star was rising at UBS. Mr. McCann was hired by UBS in 2009 to run the firm?s wealth management unit after spending nearly 25 years at Merrill Lynch, and is credited with turning around that unit.
Then, in what is widely considered a stroke of good fortune for him, Sergio Ermotti was appointed chief executive late last year.
The two executives have known each other for years, dating back to their days at Merrill. Mr. Ermotti soon asked Mr. McCann to be the chief executive of UBS Americas.
Around this time, Mr. Wolf?s office was moved several blocks away from the bank?s main <LOCATION location-code="realestate:::Find Real Estate listings and community news for New York City:::http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/" code-source="nyt-geo"><ALT idsrc="nyt-geo" value="Manhattan (NYC)" -code=""></ALT>Manhattan</LOCATION> location. He also lost responsibility for community and government affairs. While some people at UBS see these moves as a demotion, others argue that it more closely aligns his title and responsibility with what he does, which is to drum up investment banking business for UBS.
Mr. McCann is no stranger to internal politics. At Merrill, he sometimes clashed with the firm?s chief executive,
<ALT idsrc="nyt-per" value="Thain, John A" -code=""></ALT>John A. Thain</PERSON>. In 2008, Mr. Thain held a firmwide meeting to discuss Merrill?s sale to <ORG idsrc="NYSE" value="BAC%%%business,technology:::More information about Bank of America Corporation:::http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/bank_of_america_corporation/index.html|||dealbook:::More information about Bank of America Corporation:::http://dealbook.on.nytimes.com/public/overview?symbol=BAC"><ALT idsrc="NYSE" value="Bank of America Corporation" -code=""></ALT>Bank of America</ORG>, and was asked if a newspaper report saying Mr. McCann would lead wealth management at the combined company was true.</P>?Well, Bob, can you tell us about what is in today?s paper?? Mr. Thain said, staring at Mr. McCann, implying that he leaked the news, according to several attendees. Turning red, Mr. McCann did not respond, these people say.
