- Gregory Solman

LOS ANGELES Financial advisory Edward Jones is mulling a trio of agencies in the final round of a review for creative and media chores on its $35 million ad account, according to search consultancy Select Resources International.

Incumbent MDC Partners' Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners in New York is defending. Kirshenbaum won the business in 2004.

SRI confirmed that the other two finalists are independent Cramer-Krasselt, Chicago, and Interpublic Group's TM Advertising, Dallas.

According to sources, both Omnicom's GSD&M Idea acity, Austin, Texas, and IPG's Carmichael Lynch, Minneapolis, advanced from earlier rounds then withdrew.

All the agencies declined comment or couldn't be reached.

Finals are scheduled for mid-November, with a decision by the end of the year.

The St. Louis-based client, an apparent survivor in the troubled financial-services category, spent $35 million in measured media last year, and $25 million through July 2008, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.