BB&T Wealth has hired Walter A. “Bucky” Hellwig as a regional portfolio manager.

“We are excited to have Bucky join our Alabama Wealth Management team,” said Dontá Wilson, Alabama state president. “He is widely respected and nationally known for his expertise. This is another step forward in our investment to build BB&T’s Wealth Management business.”

Hellwig, who has more than 25 years of investment management experience, was named by Barron’s as one of the country’s top 100 portfolio managers based on historical returns.

He also was listed among the Top 10 large cap value fund managers by The Wall Street Journal, achieving rankings of No. 1 and No. 3 for two calendar years. Hellwig earned both his bachelor’s in business administration degree and his master’s degree in finance and investments from Washington University in St. Louis.

BB&T’s Wealth Division manages more than $17 billion in assets.