The compensation for thousands of former MetLife Premier Client Group advisors who did not transition to MassMutual when the division was sold last year is being reduced as of the end of business Friday.

Some advisors who were with the MetLife Premier Client Group will see the trail compensation for fixed and variable annuities they sold cut to 27%, according to a memo that was circulated to LPL advisors caught in the change. That could mean thousands of dollars a year for these advisors.

The LPL memo notes that LPL has nothing to do with the compensation change but was merely notifying advisors it had recruited from MetLife and MassMutual.

If an advisor is receiving 100 basis points a year on a $200,000 annuity, the "trailing compensation" will be reduced to 27 basis points.

MassMutual bought the Premier Client Group last year. Those advisors who transitioned to MassMutual are not affected by the compensation change.

A veteran third-party recruiter said approximately 4,000 advisors could be affected. Recruiters at other firms are focusing on advisors who may want to leave MassMutual because of the change.

“It is obvious they are trying to pressure advisors to stay with MassMutual,” said one advisor who did not remain with the company.

MetLife communicated compensation changes to third-party firms in the same time-frame at the end of June 2017.  While MetLife is unable to discuss the compensation paid to a firm under a specific agreement, it is the company’s goal to maintain consistency in its approach to compensation it pays to third-party firms, MetLife said in an email.