Fenner & Beane was a brokerage firm based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally founded as Fenner Gatling & Beane in 1916, the firm was renamed in 1919. The firm was founded by the Beane Brothers, New Orleans cotton merchants, to manage their exposure to fluctuations in commodity prices. In 1941, Fenner & Beane merged with what was then known as Merrill Lynch, E.A. Pierce and Cassatt to become Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Beane. In 1957, Merrill discontinued the use of the name Beane, replacing it with Smith in recognition of Winthrop H. Smith a longtime chief of the firm.