This company is now part of Bank of America.
Merrill Lynch was one of the world's largest stock brokerage houses, with offices in 38 countries and territories and total client assets of approximately $1.8 trillion. The company's 2006 revenues were $ 34.6 billion.
The company's logo is the famous bull. The company offers diverse financial services. Of the major investment banks, Merrill is the most active in serving as a brokerage for individual investors.
On September 21, 2008 Morgan Stanley announced that the Federal Reserve had granted it bank holding status, giving it more flexibility to maneuver during the financial crisis gripping the economy. The status also means that it is subject to increased regulatory oversight under the Bank Holding Act.
Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York. As one of the top investment banks of it's kind, Morgan has offices in 35 countries with 600 global offices.
Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 15, 2008 -- the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history, with over $600 billion in assets in its portfolio.
The collapse of Lehman was attributed to its deep investments in subprime and other lower-rated mortgages and related securities.
As two NYTimes reporters recently put it, "Goldman is the firm that other Wall Street firms love to hate. It houses some of the world’s biggest private equity and hedge funds. Its investment bankers are the smartest. Its traders, the best. They make the most money on Wall Street, earning the firm the nickname Goldmine Sachs.
If there is a company that is the face of the recent subprime mortgage fiasco, it is Countrywide and its CEO Angelo Mozilo. On July 1, 2008 Bank of America announced that it completed a full takeover of Countrywide after receiving approval from the Federal Reserve's Board of Directors on June 5. On October 16, 2008, Countrywide announced it would delist its stock.
