Smith Barney Taps George Ball for Senior Post

George L. Ball, who resigned as chief executive of Prudential-Bache Securities Inc. last year after a failed expansion, is returning to Wall Street with Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co.

Ball, 53, was named Wednesday to a senior brokerage post and a member of the firm’s executive committee and board of directors. He will be in charge of attracting more wealthy investors.

Ball will also help assess and implement the firm’s marketing strategies for individual investor services, Smith Barney Chairman Frank Zarb said. Published reports said Ball will help increase Smith Barney’s broker force to 4,000 from about 2,500.

Ball, a 30-year Wall Street veteran, resigned from Prudential-Bache under pressure in February, 1991, as part of a major retrenchment at the firm, which has since been renamed Prudential Securities Inc.

Although Ball failed to transform Prudential-Bache into an investment banking power, what led to his resignation were large losses.

Ball entered the securities industry with E. F. Hutton Inc. in 1962. He became president of Hutton in 1977.