When news broke March 27 that Dylan Ratigan would be leaving CNBC, it wasn’t even known whether he’d show up to host that night’s “Fast Money” (he didn’t). 40 days later, Ratigan was named an anchor at sister network MSNBC, leaving some scratching their heads.

An industry insider with knowledge of the situation tells TVNewser Ratigan “never ruled out” jumping to MSNBC. “He was very upfront: He always wanted a show at MSNBC,” says the insider. “The more surprising thing is that MSNBC thinks he can lead them somewhere because he’s untested as a general news anchor. His strength has always been Wall Street.

“It didn’t end as amicably as it could have at CNBC. It felt like he burned a bridge, but as it turned out, he didn’t need a bridge.”

A different insider with knowledge of the situation tells TVNewser NBCU CEO Jeff Zucker was “very involved” in making sure Ratigan stayed in the NBC family. “Where does this put [CNBC president Mark] Hoffman in Zucker’s book?” wonders the insider.

Marketwatch’s Jon Friedman talked to Ratigan and MSNBC president Phil Griffin about the move: “Griffin said Ratigan fits well into his concept of what MSNBC’s hosts should symbolize to viewers. ‘We want to make (MSNBC) exciting and vibrant and based on personalities who have something to say,’ he said.”