UPDATE 2-MOVES-SAC Capital, Merrill Lynch, Citadel, UniCredit

(Adds SAC Capital)

NEW YORK, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The following financial services industry appointments were announced on Friday. To inform us of other job changes, please email moves@thomsonreuters.com.

SAC CAPITAL ADVISORS

Ron Insana, a former news anchor on business news channel CNBC who left in 2006 to start his own hedge fund, Insana Capital, said in an email that he has joined Stanford, CT-based hedge fund management firm SAC Capital Advisors. Insana had told investors in his fund in August that it was "imprudent" to continue business operations.

MERRILL LYNCH & CO INC MER.N

The investment bank has hired financial institutions specialists Dick Barrett and Mark Ellman as vice chairmen.

Barrett and Ellman, who were previously at a financial services specialty firm they founded, will boost the bank's investment banking coverage of financial institutions. [ID:nN05489035]

CITADEL INVESTMENT GROUP

An executive at Citadel Investment Group LLC who ran an unprofitable credit group has resigned, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Joe Russell, who had been instrumental in making Citadel's investments in E*Trade Financial this year and in failed hedge fund Sowood Capital last year, left the Chicago-based firm this week, the person, who asked not to be identified in order to speak freely about the personnel matter, said. [ID:nN05308455]

UNICREDIT MARKETS AND INVESTMENT BANKING (CRDI.MI)

The investment bank said it appointed Levend Isanlar as head of equities in Turkey. Prior to this, Isanlar was with Deutsche Bank as the head of sales.

PACIFIC INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CO

The world's biggest bond fund named Mohamed El-Erian as its chief executive to replace Bill Thompson, who will retire at the end of the year. El-Erian will also continue in his role as co-chief investment officer with Bill Gross, the founder of Pimco, the company said in a statement.

CREDIT SUISSE (CSGN.VX)

The Swiss bank appointed Pankaj Kalra, a Merrill Lynch MER.N banker, as managing director for its India investment banking team. (Compiled by Aftab Ahmed in Bangalore; additional reporting by Elinor Comlay in New York and Svea Herbst in Boston; Editing by Andre Grenon, Gary Hill)