Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., through its subsidiaries and affiliates, primarily, Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith Incorporated, provides capital markets services, investment banking and advisory services, wealth management, asset management, insurance, banking and related products and services on a global basis. The firm's global headquarters are located in New York City and it is one of the most recognizable names in financial services. The company occupies the entire 34 stories of the Four World Financial Center building in Manhattan.
History
The company was founded on
January 6,
1914, when
Charles E. Merrill & Co. opened for business at 7
Wall Street in
New York City. A few months later, Merrill's friend,
Edmund C. Lynch, joined him and in
1915 the name was officially changed to Merrill Lynch & Co. In the
1920s the firm's New York office was at 120
Broadway, and it also had offices in
Detroit,
Chicago,
Denver,
Los Angeles and
Dublin.
Today, the multinational corporation operates in more than 40 countries around the world and has approximately US $1.8 trillion in client assets.
Analyst Conflict-of-Interest Cases
In May 2002, a settlement was reached with the
Attorney General of the State of
New York, which imposed a $100 million fine on the Firm, as well as an agreement to sever all links between analysts' pay and investment banking
revenue. The settlement was related to wrongdoings by equity analyst
Henry Blodget. In December 2002 the company was fined an additional $100 million.
Cases of Discrimination
New York Times Article
In Mid-July 2006 The New York Times broke the case of a discrimination lawsuit brought on by over 70 current and former Merrill Lynch Employees. The case alleges Merrill Lynch has been discriminatory in their hiring and their promotions for many of the past years. The case has been taken up by the famous the Civil Rights Attorneys from Chicago Mary Stowell and Linda Friedmen. The case has gone through many negotiations and at this time no deal has been struck between the two parties.
Business Groups
- GPC: Global Private Client
- GMI: Global Markets & Investment Banking Group
- MLIM: Merrill Lynch Investment Managers/BlackRock, Inc.
- Corporate Resources
- GFT&S: Global Finance, Technology & Services
- OGC: Office of General Counsel
- C&PA: Communications and Public Affairs
- LTM: Leadership & Talent Management
- Global Securities Research and Economics Group
Subsidiaries
Internal Professional Networks
The Merrill Lynch Professional Networks (MLPN) are employee-driven, local networks, organized regionally both across and within business groups. The objectives include diversifing business development, recruitment and retention, and community leadership. Not all networks are available at all Merrill Lynch office locations. Out of the 9 listed networks, Women's Professional Network has by far the most members and is the most active.
- Asian Pacific American Professional Network
- South Asian Professional Network
- Black Professional Network
- Disability Awareness Professional Network
- Hispanic Professional Network
- LGBT Professional Network
- Native American Professional Network
- Women's Professional Network
- Rainbow Professional Network
Major Locations
- New York City, New York U.S., headquarters
- Jacksonville, Florida, U.S., corporate center, supporting North America operations
- Hopewell, New Jersey U.S., corporate center, supporting North America operations
- Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.
- Singapore, corporate center, supporting Asian Pacific operations, including Hong Kong & Tokyo
- London, U.K., international headquarters
- Hong Kong, PRC
See Also
External Links
1914 establishments | Fortune 1000 | Merrill Lynch | Companies based in New York City | Banks of the United States
Merrill Lynch | Merrill Lynch | Merrill Lynch | 美林