Advisory houses with a history of bringing together some of the City of London's most recognised brands are centre-stage in tie-up talks between two of its most storied brokers.

Icap confirmed in a statement on November 6 that it is in discussions about a possible sale of its global broking business to rival Tullett Prebon. If a deal went through it would bring together staff from two of the biggest names in traditional voice broking, a business line that has come under pressure in the age of electronic trading.