Bank Of America Essay

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1. INTRODUCTION

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bank of America is one of the world’s biggest financial institutions. It functions in all 50 states (plus the District of Columbia) and is in more than 40 countries in the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. (“Bank of America SWOT Analysis,” p.3)
Bank of America (or BoA) serves an extensive range of customers ranging from “individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large businesses and governments with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services.” (“Bank of America SWOT Analysis,” p.4)

2. HISTORY
I. BANK OF ITALY
In October of 1904, Amadeo Giannini …show more content…

State and Federal laws were confusing, and the advantages possibly offered by branch banks to depositor, barrower, and stakeholder were argued. Further more, old banking laws stood against financial innovation, and Giannini had to find ways that beat the system and be ahead. These factors lead to innovation in the banking industry, as Giannini found ways that made him ahead of the system. At a time when most banks made large loans, Giannini’s Bank of Italy made loans of as little as $25. Most banks at the time did not make loans of less than $100, as they believed such small transactions are not worth the trouble. (James, James, 2002)
II. 1906 SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE AND FIRE
On the morning of April 18, 1906, an earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale hit the San Francisco area. Because of the devastating earthquake, fires started erupting as an after effect of the earthquake, thus destroying the city. Of the almost 40 banks in the San Francisco area, only Giannini’s Bank of Italy chiefly catered to lower income personals who were turned away by most big banks. (Kurzman, p.29)
After the 1906 earthquake and fire, Bank of Italy was the first bank to reopen in the area, thanks to Giannini, who made sure assets were not lost. This helped to distinguish the bank from …show more content…

SEPTEMBER 14, 2008: BOA BUYS MERRILL LYNCH

On September 14, 2008, Merrill Lynch, a wealth management company, agreed to sell itself to Bank of America for about $50 billion to help ease the financial troubles within the company. This transaction facilitated in producing an establishment that is in the upper tier of this country’s financial establishments. (Sorkin, 2008)

5. ETHICAL STANDARDS AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
I. 2014 GLOBAL CSR
In 2014, Bank of America established a Global CSR Committee in order to form a discussion concerning developing CSR matters raised by different stakeholders raging from advocates, regulators, and influencers. The committee works towards creating a more transparent and appropriate establishment for today’s world. In addition to that, the committee will work with different groups in order to achieve goals, such as Low Carbon Banking Group, the GWIM Environmental/Social/Governance Council, and the Global Diversity and Inclusion Council (“Bank of America Corporate,” 2013).

II. BANK OF AMERICA’S FIVE CORE PRINCIPLES
1) Customer driven
2) Great place to work
3) Manage

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