ESSEX AGAIN IS TOP BANK SELLER

Essex Corp. remained the largest third-party seller of mutual funds and annuities through banks last year, but its competitors gained ground, according to a new survey by Princeton, N.J.-based consultant Kenneth Kehrer Associates.

Essex’s sales were flat at $3.1 billion while those of the No. 2 marketer, Independent Financial Marketing Group, increased by 29% to $2.3 billion.

Still No. 3 is Invest Financial Corp., which saw sales increase by 9% to $1.6 billion.

MDS Bankmark remained the fourth-largest marketer even though its sales dropped by 21% to $940 million — largely because Boston-based Fleet Financial Group Inc. transferred marketing responsibilities for its proprietary mutual funds from Bankmark to the banking company’s own broker-dealer.

Big market-share gainers also included Talbot Financial and Robert Thomas Securities Inc., both of which boosted bank-channel sales by a third.

Essex has led third-party providers in annuity and mutual fund sales through banks for four straight years.