A star trader and US head of equity derivatives just quit Bank of America Merrill Lynch after less than 2 years at the bank

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

A man walks near a Bank of America branch in New York's Times Square December 11, 2008.

• Bank of America Merrill Lynch has lost a star in its stock-trading division.
• Bill Hillegass, 35, is leaving his post as head of equity derivatives in the Americas after less than two years.

A 35-year-old stock-trading star has quit Bank of America Merrill Lynch after a year and a half at the firm.

William "Bill" Hillegass ditched Barclays to join Bank of America as head of equity derivatives in the Americas in August 2017, but now he's leaving the bank to join a top buy-side firm, according to people familiar with the matter.

He's one of a slew of top equity derivatives traders to switch posts in the past year amid a rebound in the business and a war for talent.

Bank of America and Hillegass did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Hillegass started his career at UBS in 2003, before joining Lehman Brothers in 2007 just prior to the financial crisis, according to his LinkedIn profile. He then spent eight years at Barclays.

It wasn't immediately clear which firm Hillegass is headed to.

This story is developing.

Get the latest Bank of America stock price here.