Bank of America

Bank of America Corporation
Type Public
NYSE: BAC
TYO: 8648
Dow Jones Industrial Average Component
S&P 500 Component
Industry Banking
Financial services
Investment services
Founded Charlotte, North Carolina (1874)
Headquarters 100 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Area served Worldwide
Key people Charles O. Holliday
(Chairman)
Brian Moynihan
(President and CEO)[1]
Products Finance and insurance
Retail banking
Commercial banking
Investment banking
Investment management
Private banking
Private equity
Mortgages
Credit cards
Revenue increase $150.45 billion (2009)[2]
Net income increase $6.276 billion (2009)
Total assets increase $2.223 trillion (2009)[3]
Total equity increase $231.444 billion (2009)[4]
Employees 282,408 (June 2009)
Divisions List of Divisions
Website BankOfAmerica.com
Bank of America Corporate Center, located in the heart of Uptown Charlotte.
Not to be confused with First Bank of the United States, Second Bank of the United States, or Bank of United States.

Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) is a financial services company, the largest bank holding company in the United States, by assets, and the second largest bank by market capitalization.[5][6][7][8] Bank of America serves clients in more than 150 countries and has a relationship with 99% of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 83% of the Fortune Global 500. The company is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and a component of both the S&P 500 Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.[9][10][11]

The bank's 2008 acquisition of Merrill Lynch made Bank of America the world's largest wealth manager and a major player in the investment banking industry.[12]. As of 2010, Bank of America is the fifth largest company in the United States by total revenue,[13] as well as the second largest non-oil company in the US (Behind Walmart). In 2010, Forbes listed Bank of America as the third largest company in the world.[14]

The company holds 12.2% of all U.S. deposits, as of August 2009,[15] and is one of the Big Four Banks of the United States, along with Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo — its main competitors.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

Contents

Corporate history

Bank of Italy

Typical Bank of America local office in Los Angeles

Bank of America's history dates to 1904, when Amadeo Giannini founded the Bank of Italy in San Francisco to cater to immigrants who were denied service from other banks.[24][25] Amadeo was raised by the Fava/Stanghellini family when his father was shot while trying to collect on a $10.00 debt. When the 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck, Giannini was able to get all deposits out of the bank building and away from the fires. Because San Francisco's banks were in smoldering ruins and unable to open their vaults, Giannini was able to use the rescued funds to start lending within a few days of the disaster. From a makeshift desk of a few planks over two barrels, he loaned money to anyone who was willing to rebuild. Later in life, he took great pride that all of these loans were repaid.

In 1922, Giannini established Bank of America and Italy[26] in Italy by buying Banca dell'Italia Meridionale,[27] itself only established in 1918.[28][29]

March 7, 1927, Mr. Giannini consolidated his Bank of Italy (101 branches) with the then newly formed Liberty Bank of America (175 branches). The result was the Bank of Italy National Trust & Savings Association with capital of $30,000,000, resources of $115,000,000.

In 1928, A. P. Giannini merged with Bank of America Los Angeles and consolidated it with his other bank holdings to create what would become the largest banking institution in the country. He renamed his Bank of Italy November 3, 1930, calling it Bank of America. The merger was completed in early 1929[30] and took the name Bank of America. The combined company was headed by Giannini with Orra E. Monnette serving as co-Chair.

Growth in California

Giannini sought to build a national bank, expanding into most of the western states as well as into the insurance industry, under the aegis of his holding company, Transamerica Corporation. In 1953, regulators succeeded in forcing the separation of Transamerica Corporation and Bank of America under the Clayton Antitrust Act.[31] The passage of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 prohibited banks from owning non-banking subsidiaries such as insurance companies. Bank of America and Transamerica were separated, with the latter company continuing in the insurance business. However, federal banking regulators prohibited Bank of America's interstate banking activity, and Bank of America's domestic banks outside California were forced into a separate company that eventually became First Interstate Bancorp, which was acquired by Wells Fargo and Company in 1996. It was not until the 1980s with a change in federal banking legislation and regulation that Bank of America was again able to expand its domestic consumer banking activity outside California.

New technologies also allowed credit cards to be linked directly to individual bank accounts. In 1958, the bank introduced the BankAmericard, which changed its name to VISA in 1975.[32] A consortium of other California banks introduced Master Charge (now MasterCard) to compete with BankAmericard.

Expansion outside California

Following the passage of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1967, BankAmerica Corporation was established for the purpose of owning Bank of America and its subsidiaries.

BankAmerica expanded outside California in 1983 with its acquisition of Seafirst Corporation of Seattle, Washington, and its wholly owned banking subsidiary, Seattle-First National Bank. Seafirst was at risk of seizure by the federal government after becoming insolvent due to a series of bad loans to the oil industry. BankAmerica continued to operate its new subsidiary as Seafirst rather than Bank of America until the 1998 merger with NationsBank.

BankAmerica was dealt huge losses in 1986 and 1987 by the placement of a series of bad loans in the Third World, particularly in Latin America. The company fired its CEO, Sam Armacost. Though Armacost blamed the problems on his predecessor, A.W. (Tom) Clausen, Clausen was appointed to replace Armacost. The losses resulted in a huge decline of BankAmerica stock, making it vulnerable to a hostile takeover. First Interstate Bancorp of Los Angeles (which had originated from banks once owned by BankAmerica), launched such a bid in the fall of 1986, although BankAmerica rebuffed it, mostly by selling operations. It sold its FinanceAmerica subsidiary to Chrysler and the brokerage firm Charles Schwab and Co. back to Mr. Schwab. It also sold Bank of America and Italy to Deutsche Bank. By the time of the 1987 stock market crash, BankAmerica's share price had fallen to $8, but by 1992 it had rebounded mightily to become one of the biggest gainers of that half-decade.

An expansion into New York City (right).
Bank of America Tower in New York City.

BankAmerica's next big acquisition came in 1992. The company acquired its California rival, Security Pacific Corporation and its subsidiary Security Pacific National Bank in California and other banks in Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington (which Security Pacific had acquired in a series of acquisitions in the late 1980s). This was, at the time, the largest bank acquisition in history. Federal regulators, however, forced the sale of roughly half of Security Pacific's Washington subsidiary, the former Rainier Bank, as the combination of Seafirst and Security Pacific Washington would have given BankAmerica too large a share of the market in that state. The Washington branches were divided and sold off to West One Bancorp (now U.S. Bancorp) and KeyBank.[33] Later that year, BankAmerica expanded into Nevada by acquiring Valley Bank of Nevada.

In 1994, BankAmerica acquired the Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Co. of Chicago, which had become federally owned as part of the same oil industry debacle emanating from Oklahoma City's Penn Square Bank, that had brought down numerous financial institutions including Seafirst. At the time, no bank had the resources to bail out Continental, so the federal government operated the bank for nearly a decade. Illinois at that time regulated branch banking extremely heavily, so Bank of America Illinois was a single-unit bank until the 21st century. BankAmerica moved its national lending department to Chicago in an effort to establish a financial beachhead in the region.

These mergers helped BankAmerica Corporation to once again become the largest U.S. bank holding company in terms of deposits, but the company fell to second place in 1997 behind fast-growing NationsBank Corporation, and to third in 1998 behind North Carolina's First Union Corp.

On the capital markets side, the acquisition of Continental Illinois helped BankAmerica to build a leveraged finance origination and distribution business (Continental Illinois had extensive leveraged lending relationships) which allowed the firm’s existing broker-dealer, BancAmerica Securities (originally named BA Securities), to become a full-service franchise. [34][35] In addition, in 1997, BankAmerica acquired Robertson Stephens, a San Francisco-based investment bank specializing in high technology for $540 million. Robertson Stephens was integrated into BancAmerica Securities and the combined subsidiary was renamed BancAmerica Robertson Stephens.[36]

Merger of NationsBank and BankAmerica

Logo of the former NationsBank Corp., which is similar to the current logo of Bank of America
Logo of the former Bank of America, ca 1980

In 1997, BankAmerica lent D. E. Shaw & Co., a large hedge fund, $1.4bn so that the hedge fund would run various businesses for the bank. However, D.E. Shaw suffered significant loss after the 1998 Russia bond default. BankAmerica was acquired by NationsBank in October of 1998.

The purchase of BankAmerica Corp. by NationsBank Corporation was the largest bank acquisition in history at that time. While the deal was technically a purchase of BankAmerica Corporation by NationsBank, the deal was structured as merger with NationsBank renamed to Bank of America Corporation, and Bank of America NT&SA changing its name to Bank of America, N.A. as the remaining legal bank entity. The bank still operates under Federal Charter 13044, which was granted to Giannini's Bank of Italy on March 1, 1927. However, SEC filings before 1998 are listed under NationsBank, not BankAmerica.

Following the US$64.8 billion acquisition of BankAmerica by NationsBank, the resulting Bank of America had combined assets of US$570 billion, as well as 4,800 branches in 22 states. Despite the mammoth size of the two companies, federal regulators insisted only upon the divestiture of 13 branches in New Mexico, in towns that would be left with only a single bank following the combination. This is because branch divestitures are only required if the combined company will have a larger than 25% FDIC deposit market share in a particular state or 10% deposit market share overall. In addition, the combined broker-dealer, created from the integration of BancAmerica Robertson Stephens and NationsBanc Montgomery Securities, was renamed Banc of America Securities in 1998.[37]

History since 2001

In 2001, Bank of America CEO and chairman Hugh McColl stepped down and named Ken Lewis as his successor.

In 2004, Bank of America announced it would purchase Boston-based bank FleetBoston Financial for $47 billion in cash and stock.[38] By merging with Bank of America, all of its banks and branches were given the Bank of America logo. At the time of merger, FleetBoston was the seventh largest bank in United States with $197 billion in assets, over 20 million customers and revenue of $12 billion.[38] Hundreds of FleetBoston workers lost their jobs or were demoted, according to the Boston Globe.

On 30 June 2005, Bank of America announced it would purchase credit card giant MBNA for $35 billion in cash and stock. The Federal Reserve Board gave final approval to the merger on 15 December 2005, and the merger closed on 1 January 2006. The acquisition of MBNA provided Bank of America a leading credit card issuer at home and abroad. The combined Bank of America Card Services organization, including the former MBNA, had more than 40 million U.S. accounts and nearly $140 billion in outstanding balances. Under Bank of America the operation was renamed FIA Card Services.

Footprint of Bank of America locations

In May 2006, Bank of America and Banco Itaú (Investimentos Itaú S.A.) entered into an acquisition agreement through which Itaú agreed to acquire BankBoston's operations in Brazil and was granted an exclusive right to purchase Bank of America's operations in Chile and Uruguay. A deal was signed in August 2006 under which Itaú agreed to purchase Bank of America's operations in Chile and Uruguay. Prior to the transaction, BankBoston's Brazilian operations included asset management, private banking, a credit card portfolio, and small, middle-market, and large corporate segments. It had 66 branches and 203,000 clients in Brazil. BankBoston in Chile had 44 branches and 58,000 clients and in Uruguay it had 15 branches. In addition, there was a credit card company, OCA, in Uruguay, which had 23 branches. BankBoston N.A. in Uruguay, together with OCA, jointly served 372,000 clients. While the BankBoston name and trademarks were not part of the transaction, as part of the sale agreement, they cannot be used by Bank of America in Brazil, Chile or Uruguay following the transactions. Hence, the BankBoston name has disappeared from Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. The Itaú stock received by Bank of America in the transactions has allowed Bank of America's stake in Itaú to reach 11.51%. Banco de Boston de Brazil had been founded in 1947.

On 20 November 2006, Bank of America announced the purchase of The United States Trust Company for $3.3 billion, from the Charles Schwab Corporation. US Trust had about $100 billion of assets under management and over 150 years of experience. The deal closed 1 July 2007.[39]

On September 14, 2007, Bank of America won approval from the Federal Reserve to acquire LaSalle Bank Corporation from Netherlands's ABN AMRO for $21 billion. With this combination Bank of America will have 1.7 trillion in assets. A Dutch court blocked the sale until it was later approved in July. The acquisition was completed on October 1, 2007.

The deal increased Bank of America's presence in Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana by 411 branches, 17,000 commercial bank clients, 1.4 million retail customers, and 1,500 ATMs. Bank of America has become the largest bank in the Chicago market with 197 offices and 14% of the deposit share, surpassing JPMorgan Chase.

LaSalle Bank and LaSalle Bank Midwest branches adopted the Bank of America name on 5 May 2008.[40]

Ken Lewis resigned as of December 31, 2009, in part due to controversy and legal investigations concerning the purchase of Merrill Lynch, and Brian Moynihan became President and CEO effective January 1, 2010. After Moynihan assumed control, credit card charge offs and delinquencies declined in January. Bank of America also repaid the US$45 billion it had received from the Troubled Assets Relief Program.[41][42]

Acquisition of Countrywide Financial

On August 23, 2007 the company announced a $2 billion repurchase agreement for Countrywide Financial. This purchase of preferred stock was arranged to provide a return on investment of 7.25% per annum and provided the option to purchase common stock at a price of $18 per share.[43]

On January 11, 2008, Bank of America announced they would buy Countrywide Financial for $4.1 billion.[44] In March 2008, it was reported that the FBI was investigating Countrywide for possible fraud relating to home loans and mortgages.[45] This news did not stop the acquisition, which was completed in July 2008,[46] giving the bank a substantial market share of the mortgage business, and access to Countrywide's resources for servicing mortgages.[47] The acquisition was seen as preventing a potential bankruptcy for Countrywide. Countrywide, however, denied that it was close to bankruptcy. Countrywide provided mortgage servicing for nine million mortgages valued at US$1.4 trillion as of December 31, 2007.[48]

This purchase made Bank of America Corporation the leading mortgage originator and servicer in the U.S. , controlling 20–25% of the home loan market.[49] The deal was structured to merge Countrywide with the Red Oak Merger Corporation, which Bank of America created as an independent subsidiary. It has been suggested that the deal was structured this way to prevent a potential bankruptcy stemming from large losses in Countrywide hurting the parent organization by keeping Countrywide bankruptcy remote.[50] Countrywide Financial has changed its name to Bank of America Home Loans.

Acquisition of Merrill Lynch

On September 14, 2008, Bank of America announced its intentions to purchase Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. in an all-stock deal worth approximately $50 billion. Merrill Lynch was at the time within days of collapse, and the acquisition effectively saved Merrill from bankruptcy.[51] Around the same time Bank of America was reportedly also in talks to purchase Lehman Brothers, however a lack of government guarantees caused the bank to abandon talks with Lehman.[52] Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy the same day Bank of America announced its plans to acquire Merrill Lynch.[53] This acquisition made Bank of America the largest financial services company in the world.[54] Temasek Holdings, the largest shareholder of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., briefly became one of the largest shareholders of Bank of America,[55], with a 3% stake. However, taking a loss Reuters estimated at $3 billion, the Singapore sovereign wealth fund sold its whole stake in Bank of America in the first quarter of 2009.[56]

Shareholders of both companies approved the acquisition on December 5, 2008, and the deal closed January 1, 2009.[57] Bank of America had planned to retain various members of Thain's management team after the merger.[58] However, after Thain was removed from his position, most of his allies left. The departure of Nelson Chai, who had been named Asia-Pacific president, left just one of Thain's hires in place, Tom Montag as head of sales and trading.[59]

The Bank, in its January 16, 2009 earnings release, revealed massive losses at Merrill Lynch in the fourth quarter, which necessitated an infusion of money that had previously been negotiated[60] with the government as part of the government-persuaded deal for the Bank to acquire Merrill. Merrill recorded an operating loss of $21.5 billion in the quarter, mainly in its sales and trading operations, led by Tom Montag. The Bank also disclosed it tried to abandon the deal in December after the extent of Merrill's trading losses surfaced, but was compelled to complete the merger by the U.S. government. The Bank's stock price sank to $7.18, its lowest level in 17 years, after announcing earnings and the Merrill mishap. The market capitalization of Bank of America, including Merrill Lynch, was then $45 billion, less than the $50 billion it offered for Merrill just four months earlier, and down $108 billion from the merger announcement.

Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis testified before Congress[12] that he had some misgivings about the acquisition of Merrill Lynch, and that federal officials pressured him to proceed with the deal or face losing his job and endangering the bank's relationship with federal regulators.[61]

Lewis' statement is backed up in internal emails subpoenaed by Republican lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee.[62] In one of the emails, Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker threatened that if the acquisition did not go through, and later Bank of America were forced to request federal assistance, the management of Bank of America would be "gone". Other emails, read by Congressman Dennis Kucinich during the course of Lewis' testimony, state that Mr. Lewis had foreseen the outrage from his shareholders that the purchase of Merrill would cause, and asked government regulators to issue a letter stating that the government had ordered him to complete the deal to acquire Merrill. Lewis, for his part, states he didn't recall requesting such a letter.

The acquisition made Bank of America the number one underwriter of global high-yield debt, the third largest underwriter of global equity and the ninth largest adviser on global mergers and acquisitions.[63] As the credit crisis eased, losses at Merrill Lynch subsided, and the subsidiary generated 3.7 billion of Bank of America's 4.2 billion in profit by the end of Q1 2009, and over 25% in the Q3 2009.[64][65]

Bonus settlement

On August 3, 2009, Bank of America agreed to pay a $33 million fine, without admission or denial of charges, to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over the non-disclosure of an agreement to pay up to $5.8 billion of bonuses at Merrill. The bank approved the bonuses before the merger but did not disclose them to its shareholders when the shareholders were considering approving the Merrill acquisition, in December 2008. The issue was originally investigated by New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who commented after the suit and announced settlement that "the timing of the bonuses, as well as the disclosures relating to them, constituted a 'surprising fit of corporate irresponsibility'" and "our investigation of these and other matters pursuant to New York's Martin Act will continue." Congressman Kucinich commented at the same time that "This may not be the last fine that Bank of America pays for how it handled its merger of Merrill Lynch."[66] A federal judge, Jed Rakoff, in an unusual action, refused to approve the settlement on August 5.[67] A first hearing before the judge on August 10 was at times heated, and he was "sharply critic[al]" of the bonuses. David Rosenfeld represented the SEC, and Lewis J. Liman, son of Arthur L. Liman, represented the bank. The actual amount of bonuses paid was $3.6 billion, of which $850 million was "guaranteed" and the rest was shared amongst 39,000 workers who received average payments of $91,000; 696 people received more than $1 million in bonuses; at least one person received a more than $33 million bonus.[68]

On September 14, the judge rejected the settlement and told the parties to prepare for trial to begin no later than February 1, 2010. "The judge focused much of his criticism on the fact that the fine in the case would be paid by the bank's shareholders, who were the ones that were supposed to have been injured by the lack of disclosure. 'It is quite something else for the very management that is accused of having lied to its shareholders to determine how much of those victims’ money should be used to make the case against the management go away,' the judge wrote. ... The proposed settlement, the judge continued, 'suggests a rather cynical relationship between the parties: the S.E.C. gets to claim that it is exposing wrongdoing on the part of the Bank of America in a high-profile merger; the bank's management gets to claim that they have been coerced into an onerous settlement by overzealous regulators. And all this is done at the expense, not only of the shareholders, but also of the truth.'"[69]

While ultimately deferring to the SEC, in February, 2010, Judge Rakoff approved a revised settlement with a $150 million fine "reluctantly", calling the accord "half-baked justice at best" and "inadequate and misguided." Addressing one of the concerns he raised in September, the fine will be "distributed only to Bank of America shareholders harmed by the non-disclosures, or 'legacy shareholders,' [and it's also] an improvement on the prior $33 million while still 'paltry,' according to the judge." Case: SEC v. Bank of America Corp., 09-cv-06829, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.[70]

Investigations also were held on this issue in the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform[69], under chairman Edolphus Towns (D-NY)[71] and in its investigative Domestic Policy Subcommittee under Kucinich.[72]

Federal bailout

Bank of America received US $20 billion in the federal bailout from the US government through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) on 16 January 2009 and also got guarantee of US $118 billion in potential losses at the company.[73] This was in addition to the $25 billion given to them in the Fall of 2008 through TARP. The additional payment was part of a deal with the US government to preserve Bank of America's merger with the troubled investment firm Merrill Lynch.[74] Since then, members of the US Congress have expressed considerable concern about how this money has been spent, especially since some of the recipients have been accused of misusing the bailout money.[75] The Bank's CEO, Ken Lewis, was quoted as claiming "We are still lending, and we are lending far more because of the TARP program." Members of the US House of Representatives, however, were skeptical and quoted many anecdotes about loan applicants (particularly small business owners) being denied loans and credit card holders facing stiffer terms on the debt in their card accounts.

According to a March 15, 2009 article in The New York Times, Bank of America received an additional $5.2 billion in government bailout money, channeled through American International Group.[76]

As a result of its federal bailout and management problems, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Bank of America was operating under a secret "memorandum of understanding" (MOU) from the US government that requires it to "overhaul its board and address perceived problems with risk and liquidity management." With the federal action, the institution has taken several steps, including arranging for six of its directors to resign and forming a Regulatory Impact Office. Bank of America faces several deadlines in July and August and if not met, could face harsher penalties by federal regulators. Bank of America did not respond to The Wall Street Journal story.[77]

On December 2, 2009, Bank of America announced it would repay the entire US $45 billion they received in TARP and exit the program, using $26.2 billion of excess liquidity along with $18.6 billion to be gained in "common equivalent securities" (Tier 1 capital). The bank announced it had completed the repayment on December 9. Bank of America Ken Lewis said during the announcement, "We appreciate the critical role that the U.S. government played last fall in helping to stabilize financial markets, and we are pleased to be able to fully repay the investment, with interest... As America's largest bank, we have a responsibility to make good on the taxpayers' investment, and our record shows that we have been able to fulfill that commitment while continuing to lend." [78][79]

Bank of America divisions

Bank of America ATM
Bank of America branch in Washington, D.C.

Bank of America generates 90% of its revenues in its domestic market and continues to buy businesses in the US. The core of Bank of America's strategy is to be the number one bank in its domestic market. It has achieved this through key acquisitions.[80]

Consumer

Global Consumer and Small Business Banking (GC&SBB) is the largest division in the company, and deals primarily with consumer banking and credit card issuance. The acquisition of FleetBoston and MBNA significantly expanded its size and range of services, resulting in about 51% of the company's total revenue in 2005. It competes directly with the retail banking divisions of Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase. The GC&SBB organization includes over 6,100 retail branches and over 18,700 ATMs across the United States.

Bank of America is a member of the Global ATM Alliance, a joint venture of several major international banks that allows customers of the banks to use their ATM card or check card at another bank within the Global ATM Alliance with no ATM access fees when traveling internationally. Other participating banks are Barclays (United Kingdom), BNP Paribas (France), China Construction Bank (China), Deutsche Bank (Germany), Santander Serfin (Mexico), Scotiabank (Canada) and Westpac (Australia and New Zealand).[81] This feature is restricted to withdrawals using a debit card, though credit card withdrawals are still subject to cash advance fees and foreign currency conversion fees. Additionally, some foreign ATMs use Smart Card technology and may not accept non-Smart Cards.

Bank of America offers banking and brokerage products as a result of the acquisition of Merrill Lynch. Savings programs such as "Add it Up"[82] and "Keep the Change" have been well received and are a reflection of the product development banks have taken during the 2008 recession.

Bank of America, N.A is a nationally chartered bank, regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Department of the Treasury.

Corporate

Before Bank of America's acquisition of Merrill Lynch, the Global Corporate and Investment Banking (GCIB) business operated as Banc of America Securities LLC. The bank's investment banking activities operate under the Merrill Lynch subsidiary and provided mergers and acquisitions advisory, underwriting, capital markets, as well as sales & trading in fixed income and equities markets. Its strongest groups include Leveraged Finance, Syndicated Loans, and mortgage-backed securities. It also has one of the largest research teams on Wall Street. Banc of America Merrill Lynch is based in New York City.

Investment management

Global Wealth and Investment Management manages assets of institutions and individuals. It is among the 10 largest U.S. wealth managers (ranked by private banking assets under management in accounts of $1 million or more as of June 30, 2005). In July 2006, Chairman Ken Lewis announced that GWIM's total assets under management exceeded $500 billion. GWIM has five primary lines of business: Premier Banking & Investments (including Bank of America Investment Services, Inc.), The Private Bank, Family Wealth Advisors, and Bank of America Specialist.

Bank of America has recently spent $675 million building its US investment banking business and is looking to become one of the top five investment banks worldwide. "Bank of America already has excellent relationships with the corporate and financial institutions world. Its clients include 98% of the Fortune 500 companies in the US and 79% of the Global Fortune 500. These relationships, as well as a balance sheet that most banks would kill for, are the foundations for a lofty ambition."[83]

Bank of America has a massive new headquarters for its New York City operations. The skyscaper is located on 42nd Street and Avenue of the Americas, at Bryant Park, and features state of the art, environmentally-friendly technology throughout its 2.1 million square feet (195,096 m²) of office space. The building is the headquarters for the company's investment banking division, and also hosts most of Bank of America's New York-based staff.

International operations

In 2005, Bank of America acquired a 9% stake in China Construction Bank, China's second largest bank, for $3 billion.[84] It represented the company's largest foray into China's growing banking sector. Bank of America currently has offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Guangzhou and is looking to greatly expand its Chinese business as a result of this deal. In 2008 Bank of America was awarded Deal of the Year - Project Finance Deal of the Year at the 2008 ALB Hong Kong Law Awards.[85] Currently, Bank of America maintains branches in Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, New Delhi, and Bangalore. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2006, Bank of America reported an 80% increase in net profit.[86]

Bank of America operated under the name BankBoston in many other Latin American countries, including Brazil. In 2006, Bank of America sold all BankBoston's operations to Brazilian bank Banco Itaú, in exchange for Itaú shares. The BankBoston name and trademarks were not part of the transaction and, as part of the sale agreement, cannot be used by Bank of America. (That meant the extinction of the BankBoston brand.)

Bank of America's Global Corporate and Investment Banking spans the Globe with divisions in United States, Europe, and Asia. The U.S. headquarters are located in New York, European headquarters are based in London, and Asia's headquarters are based in Hong Kong.[87]

Board of directors

Historical Data

Asset & Liability

Asset/Liability Ratio

Net Income

[92]

Major shareholders

Individuals Shares held
Kenneth D Lewis 2,372,260
John A Thain 679,946
Bruce L Hammonds 504,429
Keith T Banks 336,371
Charles K Gifford 334,176
Institutions Shares held  % held
Barclays Global Investors 192,077,414 3.83
State Street Corp 187,394,299 3.73
FMR 152,596,052 3.04
Vanguard Group 142,204,635 2.83
Capital World Investors 114,829,550 2.29
Wellington Management Comp 102,053,133 2.03
AXA 89,824,923 1.79
Bank of New York Mellon Corp 65,284,687 1.30
Morgan Stanley 58,081,288 1.16
JP Morgan Chase & Co 54,816,605 1.09

Other individuals

Jonathan Finger, whose Houston-based family owns more than 1 million shares of stock and has pressed for boardroom changes[88][93]

Social responsibility

In addition to its new eco-friendly office tower in Manhattan, Bank of America has pledged to spend billions on commercial lending and investment banking for projects that it considers "green." The corporation supplied all of its employees with cash incentives to buy hybrid vehicles, and began providing mortgage loan breaks for customers whose homes qualified as energy efficient.[94] In 2007, Bank of America partnered with Brighter Planet to offer an eco-friendly credit card, and later a debit card, which help build renewable energy projects with each purchase.[95] The corporation recently completed the new 1 Bank of America Center in Uptown Charlotte. The tower, and the accompanying hotel, will be a LEED-certified building.

Bank of America has also donated money to help health centers in Massachusetts[96] and made donations to help homeless shelters in Miami.[97]

In 2004 the bank pledged $750 billion over a ten-year period for community development lending and investment. The company had delivered more than $230 billion against a ten-year commitment of $350 billion made in 1998 to provide affordable mortgage, build affordable housing, support small business and create jobs in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Consumer credit controversies

In January 2008 Bank of America began notifying some customers without payment problems that their interest rates were being more than doubled, up to 28%. The bank was criticized for raising rates on customers in good standing, and for declining to explain why it has done so.[98][99] In September 2009, a Bank of America credit card customer, Ann Minch, posted a video on YouTube criticizing the bank for raising her interest rate. After the video went viral, she was contacted by a Bank of America representative who lowered her rate. The story attracted national attention from television and internet commentators.[100][101][102] More recently, the bank has been criticized for allegedly seizing three properties that were not under their ownership, apparently due to incorrect addresses on their legal documents.[103]

Bank of America corporate buildings

Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta, Georgia.

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091217/ap_on_bi_ge/us_bank_of_america_ceo
  2. ↑ "Bank of America (BAC)". Google. http://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:BAC. 
  3. ↑ "Financial Statements for Bank of America Corporation - Google Finance". Google. 2009-07-29. http://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:BAC&fstype=ii. 
  4. ↑ "Bank of America (BAC) - Annual Income". Yahoo finance. http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=BAC&annual. 
  5. ↑ "Top 50 Bank Holding Companies". Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council. September, 2009. http://www.ffiec.gov/nicpubweb/nicweb/Top50form.aspx. Retrieved 12 December 2009. 
  6. ↑ "JPMorgan Chase's Market Value Tops Bank of America". Bloomberg.com. 2008-06-04. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aIlEBDZG3kFU&refer=home. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  7. ↑ "Lehman Bros files for bankruptcy". BBC News. 2008-09-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7615931.stm. 
  8. ↑ "BofA now country's biggest bank". Houston Business Journal. 2009-03-11. http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2009/03/09/daily29.html?surround=lfn. 
  9. ↑ "Bank of America: About". Bank of America. http://www.bankofamerica.com/index.cfm?page=about. 
  10. ↑ "List of companies in the S&P 500". Yahoo! Finance. http://finance.yahoo.com/q/cp?s=%5EGSPC. 
  11. ↑ Dow Jow Indexes
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Atlantic Magazine, September 2009,"An offer he couldn't refuse" by William D. Cohan
  13. ↑ "Please create a screen name to access this feature". CNN. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2010/full_list/. 
  14. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/18/global-2000-10_The-Global-2000_Rank.html
  15. ↑ "BofA Plans to Cut 10% of Branches". Wall Street Journal. 2009-07-28. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124874668619485699.html. 
  16. ↑ see http://www.fdic.gov/bank/statistical/guide/index.html for basic data
  17. ↑ Winkler, Rolfe (September 15, 2009). "Break Up the Big Banks". Reuters. http://blogs.reuters.com/rolfe-winkler/2009/09/15/break-up-the-big-banks/. Retrieved 17 December 2009. 
  18. ↑ Tully, Shawn (February 27, 2009). "Will the banks survive?". Fortune Magazine/CNN Money. http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/27/news/economy/tully_banks.fortune/index.htm?source=yahoo_quote. Retrieved 17 December 2009. 
  19. ↑ "Citigroup posts 4th straight loss; Merrill loss widens". The Associated Press. 10/16/2008. http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/earnings/2008-10-16-citigroup_N.htm. Retrieved 17 December 2009. 
  20. ↑ Winkler, Rolfe (August 21, 2009). "Big banks still hold regulators hostage". Reuters, via Forbes.com. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2009/08/21/afx6803343.html. Retrieved 17 December 2009. 
  21. ↑ Temple, James; The Associated Press (November 18, 2008). "Bay Area job losses likely in Citigroup layoffs". The San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/17/BURD146AIA.DTL. Retrieved 17 December 2009. 
  22. ↑ Dash, Eric (August 23, 2007). "4 Major Banks Tap Fed for Financing". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/23/business/23discount.html. Retrieved 17 December 2009. 
  23. ↑ Pender, Kathleen (November 25, 2008). "Citigroup gets a monetary lifeline from feds". The San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/24/BUST14B71M.DTL. Retrieved 17 December 2009. 
  24. ↑ "Who Made America? - Innovators - A.P. Giannini". PBS.org. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/giannini_hi.html. Retrieved 17 December 2009. 
  25. ↑ The Bank of Italy in Italy was created in 1893 through the merger of 3 of the 6 banks at the time: Banca Nazionale nel Regno d'Italia and 2 Tuscan banks.
  26. ↑ 1986, Deutsche Bank AG acquires Banca d'America e d'Italia from Bank of America Corp
  27. ↑ In 1986 Deutsche Bank AG acquired 100% of Banca d’America e d’Italia, a bank established in Naples in 1917 following the name change of Banca dell'Italia Meridionale.
  28. ↑ In 1918 another corporation, Bancitaly Corporation, was organized by A. P. Giannini, the largest stockholder of which was Stockholders Auxiliary Corporation. This company acquired the stocks of various banks located in New York City and certain foreign countries
  29. ↑ In 1918 the Bank of Italy opened a Delegation in New York, to follow American political, economic and financial affairs more closely; together with the London Delegation, this was the first permanent overseas office opened by the Bank, at a time when the foundations were being laid for the restructuring of the international money market.
  30. ↑ 1929 [...] -- The Vatican awards Knighthood in the Order of Malta to two San Franciscans, Transamerica Corporation President Amadeo Peter Giannini and American Trust Company President John S. Drum. The knighthood is the oldest and most distinguished decoration of laymen conferred by the Catholic Church.
  31. ↑ Transamerica Corporation, a corporation of Delaware, has petitioned this court to review an order of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System entered against it under Section 11 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C.A. § 21, to enforce compliance with Section 7 of the Act, 15 U.S.C.A. § 18.
  32. ↑ "The History of Visa". Visa Inc.. http://www.visalatam.com/e_aboutvisa/acerca_historia.jsp. Retrieved 2007-10-29. 
  33. ↑ Matassa Flores, Michele (1992-04-02). "Key Bank, West One Finalize Purchases". Seattle Times. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19920402&slug=1484315. Retrieved 2008-09-27. 
  34. ↑ BA Securities, Inc. Changes to BancAmerica Securities, Inc.. Business Wire, January 16, 1997
  35. ↑ BankAmerica Adds 4 Traders To Its High-Yield Bond Sector. American Banker, June 17, 1996
  36. ↑ BankAmerica to Buy Robertson, Stephens Investment Company. New York Times, June 9, 1997
  37. ↑ Montgomery name disappears, as Banc of America Securities debuts. Investment Dealers' Digest, May 17, 1999
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "US banking mega-merger unveiled". BBC News. 2003-10-27. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/business/3217803.stm. 
  39. ↑ "Bank of America To Buy U.S. Trust". Forbes.com. 2006-11-20. http://www.forbes.com/markets/2006/11/20/bank-of-america-markets-equity-cx_jl_1120markets12.html. Retrieved 2007-08-22. 
  40. ↑ Tom, Henderson (2008-04-14). "BOA to 'paint the town red' with LaSalle name change". Crain's Detroit Business (Crain Communications Inc). http://www.crainsdetroit.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080414/SUB/804140331. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
  41. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Dan; Lublin, Joann S. (October 2, 2009). "Bank of America Chief Resigns Under Fire". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125434715693053835.html. Retrieved March 29, 2010. 
  42. ↑ La Monica, Paul R. (February 24, 2010). "BofA: No longer hated on Wall Street". The Buzz (CNNMoney.com). http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/24/markets/thebuzz/index.htm. Retrieved March 29, 2010. 
  43. ↑ Salas, Caroline; Church, Steven (August 23, 2007). "Countrywide Gives Bank of America $447 Million Gain". Bloomberg L.P.. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aqHmmBljF9Ok&refer=home. Retrieved October 29, 2007. 
  44. ↑ "Bank of America to buy Countrywide for $4 billion". Reuters (via Yahoo! News). January 11, 2008. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080111/bs_nm/countrywide_bankofamerica_dc_14. Retrieved January 11, 2008. 
  45. ↑ "Countrywide FBI Investigation". CNNMoney.com. March 10, 2008. http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/08/news/companies/countrywide_FBI/index.htm. Retrieved March 10, 2008. 
  46. ↑ Arena, Kelli (September 24, 2008), "FBI probing bailout firms", CNNMoney.com, Retrieved March 8, 2010
  47. ↑ Bauerlein, Valerie; Hagerty, James S. (January 12, 2008). "Behind Bank of America's Big Gamble". The Wall Street Journal: pp. A1, A5. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120005404048583617.html. Retrieved January 15, 2008. 
  48. ↑ "Countrywide Financial Corporation Thirteen Month Statistical Data for the period ended December 31, 2007". http://about.countrywide.com/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?rid=1093858. Retrieved January 15, 2008. 
  49. ↑ "BofA completes deal for Countrywide Financial". Associated Press. July 1, 2008. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/sns-ap-bank-of-america-countrywide,0,1423871.story. Retrieved July 2, 2008. 
  50. ↑ "Bank of America May Not Guarantee Countrywide's Debt". Bloomberg News. May 2, 2008. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aEtv5YOYSFwY&refer=us. Retrieved August 3, 2008. 
  51. ↑ http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202424529176
  52. ↑ http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aiu6I5m66pcw&refer=home
  53. ↑ Sorkin, Andrew Ross (September 15, 2008). "Lehman Files for Bankruptcy; Merrill Is Sold". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/business/15lehman.html. Retrieved March 31, 2010. 
  54. ↑ Lehman Brothers files for Bankruptcy
  55. ↑ http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i2utZN9Et0f-U1kZR8zBMw51evaA
  56. ↑ "Singapore's Temasek defends costly Bank of America exit" by Kevin Lim and Saeed Azhar, Reuters, May 22, 2009. Retrieved 8/3/09.
  57. ↑ "Bank of America Completes Merrill Lynch Purchase". prnewswire.com for Bank of America. 2009-01-01. http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-01-2009/0004948222&EDATE=. 
  58. ↑ Keoun, Bradley; Trowbridge, Poppy (2008-12-18), "Bank of America Moves Chai; Berkery Said to Depart", Bloomberg L.P., http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a8FKrqSTGhNU&refer=asia, retrieved 2009-11-17 
  59. ↑ Farrell, Greg; Guerrera, Francesco (2009-02-03), "BofA Asia head and Thain ally leaves", Financial Times, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d4def908-f241-11dd-9678-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1, retrieved 2009-11-17 
  60. ↑ Dash, Eric; Story, Louise (January 16, 2009). "Bank of America to Receive Additional $20 Billion". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/business/16merrill.html. Retrieved April 26, 2010. 
  61. ↑ LOUISE STORY and JO BECKER (2009-06-11). "Bank Chief Tells of U.S. Pressure to Buy Merrill Lynch". New York Times. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=a5A4F5W_PygQ. Retrieved 2009-06-13. 
  62. ↑ BARBARA BARRETT (2009-06-10). "BofA documents, e-mails show pressure to buy Merrill Lynch". Miami Herald. http://www.miamiherald.com/business/nation/story/1091482.html. Retrieved 2009-06-13. 
  63. ↑ Bank of America (2008-09-15). "Bank of America Buys Merrill Lynch Creating Unique Financial Services Firm". Press release. http://www.bankofamerica.com/merrill/index.cfm?template=press_release. 
  64. ↑ "Debt overshadows US bank's profit". BBC News. April 20, 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8008158.stm. Retrieved March 31, 2010. 
  65. ↑ Mildenberg, David (10-05-2009). "Merrill Bringing Down Lewis Gives Bank 30% Profits as ‘a Steal’". Bloomberg.com. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=au3YrxK8NS2s. Retrieved 12 December 2009. 
  66. ↑ "BofA Settles S.E.C. Suit Over Merrill Deal" by Zachery Kouwe, DealBook blog, The New York Times, Aug. 3, 2009. Retrieved 8/3/09.
  67. ↑ "Judge blocks Bank of America-SEC bonus settlement" by Jonathan Stempel, Reuters, 8/6/09. Retrieved 8/7/09.
  68. ↑ "Judge Attacks Merrill Pre-Merger Bonuses" by Louise Story, The New York Times, August 10, 2009 (Aug. 11, 2009, p. B1 of NY ed.). Retrieved 8/11/09.
  69. ↑ 69.0 69.1 "Judge Rejects Settlement Over Merrill Bonuses" by Louise Story, The New York Times, September 14, 2009. Retrieved 9/14/09.
  70. ↑ "Bank of America $150 Million SEC Accord Is Approved (Update6)" by David Glovin, February 22, 2010 17:27 EST, Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
  71. ↑ "Executive Compensation: How Much is Too Much?" Hearing, with statements, October 28, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
  72. ↑ "Kucinich on new NY AG fraud charges against Bank of America and SEC settling charges against BofA for misleading shareholders" Press release February 4, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
  73. ↑ http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.38849e166a876fe3b800838530d14243.e31&show_article=1
  74. ↑ "U.S. pushed Bank of America to complete Merrill buy: report". Reuters. February 5, 2009. http://uk.reuters.com/article/americasDealsNews/idUKTRE5140OA20090205. 
  75. ↑ Ellis, David (February 11, 2009). "Bank CEOs flogged in Washington". CNNMoney.com. http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/11/news/companies/congress_banks/index.htm?postversion=2009021117. Retrieved March 31, 2010. 
  76. ↑ Walsh, Mary Williams (March 15, 2009),A.I.G. Lists Firms It Paid With Taxpayer Money, The New York Times, Retrieved March 31, 2009
  77. ↑ US Regulators to B of A: Obey or Else, The Wall Street Journal, July 16, 2009
  78. ↑ Bank of America to Repay Entire $45 Billion in TARP to U.S. Taxpayers, PR Newswire, December 2, 2009
  79. ↑ "Bank of America Completes US TAPR Repayment". 12-10-2009. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hVDH-K0l9zbGcavAHfSrw1-Pn6og. Retrieved 12 December 2009. 
  80. ↑ "Awards for Excellence 2007 Best Bank: Bank of America". Euromoney. 2007-07-13. http://www.euromoney.com/article.asp?ArticleID=1391932. 
  81. ↑ "Five big banks form Global ATM Alliance", ATMmarketplace.com. January 9, 2002. Accessed June 22, 2007.
  82. ↑ Henry. "Bank of America - Add it Up". Interest Savings Accounts. http://www.interestsavingsaccounts.net/2009/04/bank-of-americas-add-it-up-savings.html. Retrieved 2009-10-27. 
  83. ↑ "Bank of America's next step forward". Euromoney. 2007-07-13. http://www.euromoney.com/article.asp?ArticleID=1391226. 
  84. ↑ "Bank of America invests in China". BBC. 2005-06-17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4102670.stm. Retrieved 2007-08-22. 
  85. ↑ http://www.legalbusinessonline.com.au
  86. ↑ "Bank of America's India operations have reported an 80 per cent jump in net profit". indiadaily.com. 2006-06-15. http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/9739.asp. 
  87. ↑ http://corp.bankofamerica.com/public/public.portal?_pd_page_label=products/regions/asia/contact
  88. ↑ 88.0 88.1 88.2 88.3 88.4 "Bank of America Says Three Directors Quit as Exodus Totals 10" by David Mildenberg, Bloomberg.com, August 1, 2009. Retrieved 8/1/09.
  89. ↑ 89.0 89.1 Company Web page Retrieved 8/2/09.
  90. ↑ Kamalakaran, Ajay (September 21, 2009). "UPDATE 1-BofA board adds DuPont's Holliday". www.reuters.com. http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idCNN2132126020090921?rpc=44. Retrieved 2009-09-22. 
  91. ↑ "Former Compass CEO Jones returns to Balch and Bingham" by Crystal Jarvis, April 18, 2008. Retrieved 8/2/09.
  92. ↑ <http://www.moneyeconomics.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=150:-top-10-by-total-asset-bank-of-america&catid=42:saving-rates&Itemid=106 Money Economics Top 10 Banks Project>
  93. ↑ Houston investors set for BofA showdown Houston Business Journal
  94. ↑ "Bank vows $20 billion for green projects". msnbc. 2008-02-06. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17500301/. 
  95. ↑ Cui, Carolyn (2007-11-30). "Credit Cards' Latest Pitch: Green Benefits". Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120225763311445823.html. Retrieved 8-7-09. 
  96. ↑ Kowalczyk, Liz (2007-03-10). "Bank to aid health centers". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/03/10/bank_to_aid_health_centers/. Retrieved 2007-08-22. 
  97. ↑ Freer, Jim (2007-03-09). "BofA donates $1M to Camillus House". South Florida Business Journal. http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2007/03/05/daily40.html. Retrieved 2007-08-22. 
  98. ↑ Berner, Robert (February 7, 2008), A Credit Card You Want to Toss", Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Retrieved March 1, 2010
  99. ↑ Palmer, Kimberly (February 28, 2008), Mortgage Woes Boost Credit Card Debt, U.S. News & World Report, Retrieved March 1, 2010
  100. ↑ Delaney, Arthur (September 21, 2009, updated November 21, 2009), "Ann Minch Triumphs In Credit Card Fight", The Huffington Post, Retrieved March 1, 2010
  101. ↑ Ferran, Lee (September 29, 2009), "Woman Boycotts Bank of America, Wins", Good Morning America, ABC News, Retrieved March 1, 2010
  102. ↑ Pepitone, Julianne (September 29, 2009), "YouTube credit card rant gets results", Retrieved March 1, 2010
  103. ↑ Gomstyn, Alice (January 25, 2010). "No Mortgage, Still Foreclosed? Bank of America Sued for Seizing Wrong Homes". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Business/bank-america-sued-foreclosing-wrong-homes/story?id=9637897. Retrieved 4 March 2010. 

Further reading

External links