Plan sponsors do not realize that the brokerage affiliates of consultants are some of the largest soft dollar and commission recapture firms out there.

FORBES: Consultants With Affiliated Broker-Dealers: How Independent Is Their Advice? (April 1, 1996 )

Soft dollar and commission recapture firms have grown tremendously since the late eighties and have taken a lot of business from Wall Street firms.

FORBES: Pensions and Brokerage: The Brokerage Battlefield Revisited (October 1, 2000)

At best, these firms retain outside legal counsel to assist their salesmen and clients (indirectly) regarding regulatory developments and the advisability of proposed soft dollar and commission recapture arrangements.

FORBES: Soft Dollar Zone: A Sensitive Area (January 1, 1997)