Invest taps Steve Dowden as president and chief executive

Invest Financial Corp. said today that it has hired Steve H. Dowden as president and chief executive, succeeding Lynn Niedermeier. Ms. Niedermeier retired in July, after eight years at Invest’s helm. Since then, Jim Livingston, president and chief executive of the firm’s broker-dealer network National Planning Holdings Inc., had filled in on an interim basis. Mr. Dowden joins from CUNA Mutual Group, a financial services firm that serves credit unions. There, he was senior vice president of distribution and president and chief executive of CUNA Brokerage Services Inc., leading some 550 financial advisers in the company’s sales force. During his time there, Mr. Dowden developed CUNA’s MEMBERS financial services and wealth management platform. The new addition is in line with Invest's bank and credit union target market. Last month, the network created partnerships with four banks: AB&T National Bank, First United Bank, Ouachita Independent Bank and United Community Bank.