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.
J.P. Morgan Securities recruits come from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Bernstein and UBS.
Lawsuit over '09 acquisition seeks injunction barring individuals from the securities industry.
Strong profits from asset fees and potential regulatory changes are keeping most wirehouse reps in their seats, as the firms have mostly maintained their adviser forces since the third quarter of 2011.<br><i>(Plus: <a href="http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20131031/FREE/131039980">Wall Street's pay gloom</a>)</i>
Morgan Stanley suffered $8.4B in client asset losses in the third quarter as big advisers split. The wirehouse says attrition is near record lows but some disagree.
People working for the SEC who owned stock in companies under investigation were more likely to sell shares than other investors in the months before the agency announced it was taking enforcement actions, according to a new academic paper.
A former Bank of America Merrill Lynch financial adviser was sentenced to 10 years in prison for running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded at least six investors of $2.7 million. Mason Braswell has the story.
In some cases, the failure to supervise rests with the adviser, not the firm, senior director says.
Focus hires $250 million team, on the heels of the departure of $550 million team to Raymond James.
As Morgan Stanley chief executive James Gorman sets a new profit margin target for the firm's wealth management unit, executives will be looking to advisers to capitalize on new opportunities, such as lending to high-net-worth clients, an area where the firm lags.
Why your employer's switch to lump sum contributions could make you miss the market rally
Veteran advisers Michael Bromberg and Daniel Gerschel join in New York.
Investors shifted record amounts out of U.S. stock funds and into bonds in seven-day period ended Feb. 5, while withdrawing money from emerging-market equities for a 15th straight week.
Shares of discount brokers are no longer trading on the cheap, with their stock prices rising nearly 40% this year. The question: Is this an upbeat sign for equities or a lagging indicator? | <a href="http://www.investmentnews.com/gallery/20130509/FREE/509009998/PH&Params=Itemnr=12">How Schwab rates with customers</a>
The biggest exchange-traded fund tracking the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market is selling at the highest premium to the value of its assets since May, an early sign that local debt may avoid a second year of losses.
Investors shifted record amounts out of U.S. stock funds and into bonds, while withdrawing money from emerging-market equities for a 15th straight week
