Merger of Nations Bank and Bank America

Merger of NationsBank and BankAmerica In 1997, BankAmerica lent D.E. Shaw & Co., a large hedge fund, $1.4bn so that the hedge fund would run various businesses for the bank. However, D.E. Shaw suffered significant loss after 1998 Russia bond default. BankAmerica was later acquired by NationsBank that year.

The purchase of BankAmerica Corp. by the NationsBank Corporation was the largest bank acquisition in history at that time. While the deal was technically a purchase of BankAmerica Corporation by NationsBank, the deal was structured as merger with NationsBank renamed to Bank of America Corporation, and Bank of America NT&SA, changing its name to Bank of America, N.A. as the remaining legal bank entity. The bank still operates under Federal Charter 13044 which was granted to Giannini's Bank of Italy on March 1, 1927. However, SEC filings before 1998 are listed under NationsBank, not BankAmerica.

Following the US$64.8 billion acquisition of BankAmerica by NationsBank, the resulting Bank of America had combined assets of US$570 billion, as well as 4,800 branches in 22 states. Despite the mammoth size of the two companies, federal regulators insisted only upon the divestiture of 13 branches in New Mexico, in towns that would be left with only a single bank following the combination. This is because branch divestitures are only required if the combined company will have a larger than 25 percent FDIC deposit market share in a particular state or 10 percent deposit market share overall.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_America

Bank of ItalyThe Roots Of The Pre1998 Bank of America

Bank of ItalyThe roots of the pre-1998 Bank of America lie in the American Bank of Italy, founded in San Francisco by Amadeo Giannini in 1904. When the 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck, Giannini was able to get all of the deposits out of the bank building and away from the fires. Thus, unlike many other banks, he retained the confidence of the depositors and also had money to lend to those struck by the disaster.

In the late 1920s, Giannini approached Orra E. Monnette, President and founder of Bank of America, Los Angeles, about a merger between the two entities. The Los Angeles based bank had exhibited strong growth throughout the 1920s, due in part to its success in developing an advanced branch banking system. The merger was completed in early 1929 and took the name Bank of America. The combined company was headed by Giannini with Monnette serving as co-Chair.

While the names of many nationally chartered banks end with the initials 'N.A.' (National Association), Giannini picked a unique ending, National Trust and Savings Association, or 'NT&SA', because he wanted the name to highlight the different functions of the bank. Bank of America was the only NT&SA in the country. Thanks to good management, but also to aggressive development of the branch banking concept, the bank was soon the largest in California.

Bank of America Largest Commercial Bank In The United States

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC TYO: 8648) is the largest commercial bank in the United States in terms of deposits, and the largest company of its kind in the world.

It is the largest American company (by market capitalization) that is not part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Type - Public (NYSE: BAC TYO: 8648)
Founded - (as "Bank of Italy")
San Francisco, CA (1928)
(acquiring banks)
Charlotte, NC (1874)
Boston, MA (1784)
Headquarters Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Key people Kenneth D. Lewis, Chairman, CEO & President
Amy W. Brinkley, Global Risk Executive
J. Steele Alphin, CAO
Joe L. Price, CFO
Industry - Banking
Products - Financial Services
Revenue - $117.01 billion USD (2006)[2]
Operating income - $21.64 billion USD (2006)[3]
Net income - $21.13 billion USD (2006)[3][2]
Employees - 203,425 (2006)[2]
Slogan - Bank of Opportunity[1]
Website - www.bankofamerica.com

Again Bare Contessa Everyday Foot Home Make Over Over Recipe Youll

Again Bare Contessa Everyday Foot Home Make Over Over Recipe Youll
Nothing special in "Again Bare Contessa Everyday Foot Home Make Over Over Recipe Youll" post. However would like to share top 10 cooking websites and portal here.

MyDigitalkitchen.com
Recipes, Ingredients, Nutrition & Software

Online-Cookbook.com
Contribute and Share Recipes. Very User Friendly!

RestaurantEdge.com
A comprehensive resource site. All the business tools you need for the restaurant industry.

American Personal Chef Institute & Association
Information Portal for the Personal Chef Industry

Turner New Zealand Gourmet Food
The Ultimate Gourmet Food Store

ItalianChef.com
Classic and new Italian recipes, a newsletter, restaurant reviews and cookbook reviews.

Awesome Chef
Meet Chef Brian Johnson, his recipes, techniques, ingredients and pictures.

Vanilla.com
Socially Conscious Site dedicated to all things Vanilla

The Food Reference
Food, History, Quotes, Trivia, Recipes

Epicurious
For People Who Eat

Brief Century Expanded First Flat History Twenty Updated World

Brief Century Expanded First Flat History Twenty Updated World

The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century is a best-selling book by Thomas L. Friedman analyzing the progress of globalization with an emphasis on the early 21st century. It was first released in 2005 and was later released as an "updated and expanded" edition in 2006 and yet again with further alterations in 2007.

Search More Books At : http://www.articlessearchengine.com/Books-Search_Results_8_Book.aspx


Friedman lists ten "flatteners" that have leveled the global playing field:

Collapse of Berlin Wall--11/'89:
The event not only symbolized the end of the Cold war, it allowed people from other side of the wall to join the economic mainstream. (11/09/1989)

Netscape:
Netscape and the Web broadened the audience for the Internet from its roots as a communications medium used primarily by 'early adopters and geeks' to something that made the Internet accessible to everyone from five-year-olds to eighty-five-year olds. (8/9/1995)

Workflow software:
The ability of machines to talk to other machines with no humans involved. Friedman believes these first three forces have become a “crude foundation of a whole new global platform for collaboration.”

Open sourcing:
Communities uploading and collaborating on online projects. Examples include open source software, blogs, and Wikipedia. Friedman considers the phenomenon "the most disruptive force of all."

Outsourcing:
Friedman argues that outsourcing has allowed companies to split service and manufacturing activities into components, with each component performed in most efficient, cost-effective way.

Offshoring:
Manufacturing's version of outsourcing.

Supply chaining:
Friedman compares the modern retail supply chain to a river, and points to Wal-Mart as the best example of a company using technology to streamline item sales, distribution, and shipping.
Insourcing
Friedman uses UPS as a prime example for insourcing, in which the company's employees perform services--beyond shipping--for another company. For example, UPS itself repairs Toshiba computers on behalf of Toshiba. The work is done at the UPS hub, by UPS employees.


In-forming:
Google and other search engines are the prime example. "Never before in the history of the planet have so many people-on their own-had the ability to find so much information about so many things and about so many other people", writes Friedman.

"The Steroids":
Personal digital devices like mobile phones, iPods, personal digital assistants, instant messaging, and voice over IP or VOIP.

Autistic Blue Born Day Extraordinary Inside Mind Savant

Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant

Search More Books AT : http://www.articlessearchengine.com/Books-Search_Results_8_Book.aspx

Book Review:

This unique first-person account offers a window into the mind of a high-functioning, 27-year-old British autistic savant with Asperger's syndrome.

Tammet's ability to think abstractly, deviate from routine, and empathize, interact and communicate with others is impaired, yet he's capable of incredible feats of memorization and mental calculation.

Besides being able to effortlessly multiply and divide huge sums in his head with the speed and accuracy of a computer, Tammet, the subject of the 2005 documentary Brainman, learned Icelandic in a single week and recited the number pi up to the 22,514th digit, breaking the European record.

He also experiences synesthesia, an unusual neurological syndrome that enables him to experience numbers and words as "shapes, colors, textures and motions." Tammet traces his life from a frustrating, withdrawn childhood and adolescence to his adult achievements, which include teaching in Lithuania, achieving financial independence with an educational Web site and sustaining a long-term romantic relationship.

As one of only about 50 people living today with synesthesia and autism, Tammet's condition is intriguing to researchers; his ability to express himself clearly and with a surprisingly engaging tone (given his symptoms) makes for an account that will intrigue others as well.

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Born-Blue-Day-Extraordinary-Autistic/dp/1416535071

Enterprise Wiki Success Story from Janssen Cilag Australian Pharmaceutical

Enterprise Wiki Success Story from Janssen-Cilag

Here is another cross post from my FASTForward look at enterprise success stories. Janssen-Cilag is an Australian pharmaceutical subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. It was using a static HTML site for an intranet.

Called InfoDownUnder, it was originally developed in 2001. Some content was out of date and there was no search capability. Trust in the system was low and demand for change was high.

"Business information that was previously scattered in email (e.g. Business Planning presentations) is now collected into a permanent, secure online space. We have a growing reference and history of information to build on and make available to newcomers. Knowledge management, previously a big concern, has moved off the agenda for the time being." Nathan Wallace, in the CIO at Janssen-Cilag

Source: http://billives.typepad.com/portals_and_km/2007/10/enterprise-wiki.html