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.
The four-adviser HBGW Group is moving to Baird’s office in Greenville, South Carolina.
As part of the effort, the bank tapped Puneet Singhvi to be its new head of digital assets inside the institutional clients group.
The law firms that filed the case point to record-keeping fees that were higher than those for other plans they identified.
Private capital would prove more critical to reaching the Paris Agreement aim of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The common theme advisers share is that despite this effort, the firm's leadership is still quite disconnected from their real concerns.
The overhauled compensation structure is tied to revenue production and features a length-of-service award for high performers with additional revenue, which will be paid in restricted stock units.
Record allocations by households, foreign investors, mutual and pension funds are set to climb even higher in 2022, Goldman strategists led by David Kostin wrote in a note Friday.
The new adviser development program is up and running with 750 advisers. Some of the new recruits could be already licensed to sell securities, but don't have a background in financial advice, according to the company.
After recruiting seven teams of advisers in the first half of the year, the bank added just one team over the summer, executives of the firm said on an earnings call.
The biggest players are getting bigger, with the top four increasing their share of the health savings account market from 56% to 60%, according to a recent report by Morningstar Inc.
The firm will give the $200 awards to client associates, administrative support and operations staff who have been vaccinated against Covid and show up in the office at least eight times between now and mid-November.
Komansky, who joined Merrill Lynch as a stockbroker, expanded the firm around the globe as its chairman and CEO during the bull markets of the 1990s.
This month's #AdviserTech roundup includes Riskalyze’s recapitalization, RightCapital’s launch of retirement decumulation tools, Veriti’s crossing $1 billion of AUM, and American Express partnering with BodesWell to return to the financial planning business 16 years after spinning off Ameriprise.
Merrill Lynch rolls out a new mobile app for advisers to access all the information on their adviser dashboard via their smartphones.
The InvestmentNews event held Tuesday in New York City highlighted top firms and individuals consistently working toward a more equitable and inclusive profession.
