3 Ex-Officers of Salomon to Start Investment Firm

Three former senior executives of the Salomon Bros. financial firm, William J. Voute, E. Craig Coats Jr. and Ronald M. Stuart, announced the formation of a new investment firm, Voute Coats Stuart & O’Grady L.P.

Voute, 50, will be chairman and chief executive. Coats and Stuart, both 41, will be vice chairmen. The firm is headquartered in Greenwich, Conn.

Voute, a former vice chairman of Salomon Bros., as well as a director of its parent company, Salomon Inc., is a 30-year veteran of the securities industry.