But the difference between what private equity firms and other buyers can pay is often too great to ignore. Deep-pocketed private equity furnished evidence of its continued appeal in the investment bank and valuation firm Echelon Partners' latest RIA M&A Deal Report . Of the 120 RIA acquisitions Echelon identified as completed in the second quarter, private equity firms played a role in nearly 76%. Echelon noted that rising credit costs are pushing more sellers to finance their growth through equity deals rather than loans . READ MORE: Culture clubbed: How private equity buyers are gutting RIA moraleAre buyers becoming more selective?