then an employee at his London office, as the new President of Royal Securities and, firmly ensconced in England, in 1919 sold the Canadian company to Killam. In November 1920, Royal Securities acquired the seven storey office building at 244 Saint James Street from the London & Lancashire Life Assurance Company who had built it 1898 as their Canadian head office. Royal Securities owned the building until May 1965. Under Izaak Walton Killiam's guidance, Royal Securities continued to prosper, becoming one of the largest and most respected brokerage houses in Canada with a significant presence in every province. The company was a leader in the underwriting and distribution of share issues for the rapidly growing domestic pulp and paper business that grew hand-in-hand with the development of the electric power industry. Royal Securities was also a major underwriter and agent for numerous government bond issues. Operating from its headquarters on Montreal's famous St. James Street, Royal Securities became a publicly traded company, listed on the Montreal, Canadian and Toronto Stock Exchanges. In the early 1950s, Killam retired from active business due to failing health and before his death in 1955 made generous arrangements to allow the sale of Royal Securities to his close business associates. In 1969, the company was sold to Merrill Lynch and would become Merrill Lynch, Royal Securities Limited. Eventually, the Royal Securities name vanished and the company operated as Merrill Lynch Canada Ltd. who over time would sell off their Canadian retail brokerage business to Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. References Canadian Register of Commerce & Industry (1959) – Western Libraries, University of Western Ontario How, Douglas. Canada's Mystery Man of High Finance. (1986 – Lancelot Press). Frost, James. Merchant Princes, Halifax's First Family of Finance, Ships and Steel. (2003 - James Lorimer & Co.) Financial services companies established in 1903 Stock brokerages and investment banks of Canada Defunct financial services companies of Canada Financial services companies disestablished in 1969 1903 establishments in Nova Scotia 1969 disestablishments in Nova Scotia