Bank of America

The Bank of America Corporation is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, with investment banking and auxiliary headquarters in Manhattan. The bank was founded by the merger of NationsBank and Bank of America in 1998. It is the second-largest banking institution in the United States and the second-largest bank in the world by market capitalization, both after JPMorgan Chase. Bank of America is one of the Big Four banking institutions of the United States. It serves about 10 percent of all American bank deposits, in direct competition with JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo. Its primary financial services revolve around commercial banking, wealth management, and investment banking.
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Some of the key events about Bank of America

  • 1904
    Founded as Bank of Italy in San Francisco to serve working-class citizens
  • 1928
    Merged with Bank of America, Los Angeles to form Bank of America National Trust and Savings Association
  • 1931
    Acquired numerous smaller banks during the Great Depression, consolidating power in the banking sector
  • 1947
    Faced allegations of discriminatory lending practices against minorities and low-income communities
  • 1958
    Introduced the BankAmericard, which later became Visa, revolutionizing consumer credit
  • 1969
    Became the first bank to form a bank holding company, BankAmerica Corporation
  • 1986
    Introduced the first nationwide discount brokerage service
  • 1998
    Merged with NationsBank, creating the first coast-to-coast bank in the United States
  • 1998
    Paid $187 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over deceptive practices in managing trust accounts
  • 2008
    Acquired Merrill Lynch, expanding its wealth management and investment banking capabilities
  • 2008
    Acquired Countrywide Financial, inheriting its toxic mortgage portfolio and legal liabilities
  • 2010
    Paid $137 million to settle government claims of bid rigging in the municipal bond market
  • 2011
    Agreed to pay $410 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over excessive debit card overdraft fees
  • 2012
    Reached a $11.6 billion settlement to resolve claims of mortgage abuse, providing relief to homeowners
  • 2012
    Settled for $2.43 billion over allegations of hiding Merrill Lynch's losses during acquisition
  • 2013
    Surpassed JPMorgan Chase to become the largest U.S. bank by assets
  • 2014
    Paid $16.65 billion to settle claims related to selling toxic mortgages before the financial crisis
  • 2016
    Fined $430 million for misusing customer cash and failing to safeguard customer securities
  • 2019
    Raised minimum wage for employees to $20 per hour, setting a new standard in the banking industry
  • 2020
    Agreed to pay $300 million over claims of knowingly selling faulty residential mortgage loans

Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.

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