Office address: 100 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28255
Website: bankofamerica.com
Year established: 1998
Company type: banking
Employees: 213,000+ (2024)
Expertise: commercial banking, wealth management, investment banking, asset management, credit cards, mortgage lending, equities trading, insurance, private equity, risk management
Parent company: N/A
Key people: Brian Moynihan (CEO); Alastair Borthwick (CFO); Jim DeMare, Lindsay Hans, Katy Knox, Matthew Koder, and Wendy Stewart (presidents)
Financing status: corporation
Bank of America (BofA) is a Charlotte-based financial services company. The bank serves 69 million clients, offers digital banking to 59 million users, and manages $1.88 trillion in assets. It is known for its broad range of services, including commercial banking, wealth management, and investment banking through Merrill and the Private Bank.
Bank of America was formally created in 1998 following the merger of NationsBank and BankAmerica. But its history extends much further into the past. In 1904, Amadeo Giannini founded the Bank of Italy in San Francisco to help immigrants and working families who were often turned away by other banks.
By 1928, the Bank of Italy merged with Bank of America, Los Angeles, and soon took on the Bank of America name. Giannini’s vision led to the first statewide branch banking system in the US. The company introduced new ideas, such as the BankAmericard in 1958, which later became Visa.
BofA expanded beyond California in the 1980s and 1990s, acquiring banks in other states and growing its reach. In 1998, NationsBank of Charlotte acquired BankAmerica, creating today’s Bank of America Corporation. The new company kept the Bank of America name and made Charlotte, North Carolina its headquarters.
The company continued to grow by acquiring FleetBoston in 2004, MBNA in 2006, and Merrill Lynch in 2008. These deals helped Bank of America become a leader in credit cards, wealth management, and investment banking.
In 2024, BofA’s wealth management balances reached $4.2 trillion, an 18% increase from the prior year. This growth showed the company’s strong performance and leading global position.
BofA provides products for individuals, businesses, and institutions, with an emphasis on investment and building wealth:
Bank of America also stands out for its digital tools, security features, and nationwide branch network. Clients benefit from integrated services, personalized support, and a commitment to responsible growth.
According to Bank of America, the company's culture values support, growth, and connection for all employees. The firm reports a work environment focused on collaboration, opportunity, and ongoing development, with programs for both current and former staff.
Employees are offered a variety of benefits designed to support their health, finances, and personal lives:
For environmental sustainability, Bank of America’s aims for net zero greenhouse gas emissions across financing, operations, and supply chain before 2050. The Environmental Business Initiative plans to mobilize $1 trillion by 2030 for low-carbon and sustainable projects. It supports the Paris Climate Agreement and targets areas like energy efficiency, clean transportation, and water conservation.
Brian Moynihan is chair of the board and CEO of Bank of America, and also chairs the Sustainable Markets Initiative. Before this, Moynihan held several leadership roles at BofA, including president of global banking. He volunteers as chancellor of Brown University’s Corporation and is active in groups focused on economic and market trends.
Bank of America’s leaders have strong experience and important roles across the company:
These leaders guide the bank’s growth and help meet client needs every day. Their skills cover finance, customer service, and global markets.
In 2025, Bank of America Merrill Lynch has also expanded its alternative investment platform, now focusing on ultra-high-net-worth clients with $50 million or more. The number of clients using this platform has more than doubled in five years, showing strong demand for private equity and other alternative funds. This move allows the company to provide more choices and advanced strategies to investors seeking alternative assets.
BofA’s derivatives team also saw a chance for investors to benefit from tech’s ongoing rally, even as some hedge funds sell. The bank suggested using a six-month call spread on the QQQ ETF, which could offer strong returns if tech stocks keep rising. This approach aims to manage risk and seek growth as markets change. It also highlights its role in guiding investors toward future opportunities.
In the months before it landed one of the biggest advisers on Wall Street, HighTower Securities LLC was already successfully recruiting other breakaway brokers.
In strikingly unenthusiastic fashion, federal Judge Jed Rakoff signed off on the Securities and Exchange Commission's plan to fine Bank of America $150 million after failing to tell shareholders of about $16 billion in impending losses at Merrill Lynch.
Bank of America Corp., the nation's largest lender, spent $1.18 million in the fourth quarter to lobby the federal government on issues such as executive compensation, credit cards and mortgage lending practices, according to a recent disclosure report.
Bank of America Corp.'s new CEO Brian Moynihan said Monday his company is continuing to recover from the financial crisis but will remain cautious even as it expects to grow in 2010.
If the Securities and Exchange Commission won't protect shareholders, then the courts must — and they will.
As part of her leadership role at Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., Sallie Krawcheck has shown clear deference to the firm's storied past and has assiduously worked the phones, reaching out to leading members of the firm's old guard, including former chief executives David Komansky and Daniel Tully.
Key members of Congress will begin an investigation to determine whether officials from Merrill Lynch deliberately misled lawmakers about bonuses the brokerage firm intended to pay out to top executives for its 2008 performance.
Standard & Poor's cut its credit outlook for Citigroup and Bank of America to “negative” from “stable,” warning that shifts in the political winds don't bode well for some investors in these large institutions.
Wall Street executives said Wednesday they underestimated the severity of the 2008 financial crisis and made poor decisions, while also defending their bonus and compensation practices to a skeptical commission investigating what caused the collapse.
A senior House Democrat says the government didn't force Bank of America to take over Merrill Lynch and bank executives knew they had little chance of legally being able to back out of the deal.
After trimming the ranks of its brokerage force, Bank of America Corp. apparently wants to build up its force again — this time from the ground up.
Three months after he joined the company, Andrew Sieg, head of retirement and philanthropic services at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, has reorganized its retirement services group
Recruiters at competing firms are likely to reach out to bank brokers at Bank of America Investment Services Inc., according to industry observers.
Sizeable haul for the bank's CEO actually worked out to a 6% pay cut from the previous year
When Rodger Lawson officially steps down as president of Fidelity Investments at the end of March, some industry experts predict the company may not act to fill the position immediately.
