Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo is one of the "Big Four Banks" of the United States, along with JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citigroup-its main competitors.The company operates across 35 countries and has over 70 million customers globally. In 2012, it had more than 9,000 retail branches and over 12,000 automated teller machines in 39 states and the District of Columbia. In July, 2015, Wells Fargo became the world's largest bank by market capitalization, edging past ICBC.

In February 2014 Wells Fargo was named the world's most valuable bank brand for the second year running in The Banker and Brand Finance study of the top 500 banking brands.

Main article: History of Wells Fargo
The current Wells Fargo is a result of a 1998 merger between Minneapolis-based Norwest Corporation and the original Wells Fargo. The new company kept the Wells Fargo name to capitalize on the long history of the nationally recognized Wells Fargo name and its trademark stagecoach (the company's previous slogan, "The Next Stage," is likely a nod to the company's trademark. After the acquisition, the parent company kept its headquarters in San Francisco. The company's current tagline, "Together we'll go far" also references the stagecoach motif, its customers, and represents the company name itself in a transposed way 

There are many mini-branches located inside of other buildings, which are almost exclusively grocery stores, that usually contain ATMs, basic teller services, and, space permitting, an office for private meetings with customers.

A former Wachovia branch converted to Wells Fargo in the fall of 2011 in Durham, North Carolina.
On October 3, 2008, Wachovia agreed to be bought by Wells Fargo for about $14.8 billion in an all-stock transaction. This news came four days after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation FDIC made moves to have Citigroup buy Wachovia for $2.1 billion. Citigroup protested Wachovia's agreement to sell itself to Wells Fargo and threatened legal action over the matter. However, the deal with Wells Fargo overwhelmingly won shareholder approval since it valued Wachovia at about seven times what Citigroup offered. To further ensure shareholder approval, Wachovia issued Wells Fargo with preferred stock holding 39.9% of the voting power in the company.

On October 4, 2008, a New York state judge issued a temporary injunction blocking the transaction from going forward while the situation was sorted out.Citigroup alleged that they had an exclusivity agreement with Wachovia that barred Wachovia from negotiating with other potential buyers. The injunction was overturned late in the evening on October 5, 2008, by New York state appeals court. Citigroup and Wells Fargo then entered into negotiations brokered by the FDIC to reach an amicable solution to the impasse. Those negotiations failed. Sources say that Citigroup was unwilling to take on more risk than the $42 billion that would have been the cap under the previous FDIC-backed deal (with the FDIC incurring all losses over $42 billion. Citigroup did not block the merger, but indicated they would seek damages of $60 billion for breach of an alleged exclusivity agreement with Wachovia....

Bank of China

Bank of China Limited (simplified Chinese  traditional Chinese pinyin: Zhōngguó Yínháng; often abbreviated as  in Hong Kong or  in mainland is one of the 5 biggest state-owned commercial banks in China.

It was founded in 1912 by the Republican government to replace the Imperial Bank of China. It is the oldest bank in mainland China still in existence. From its establishment until 1942, it issued banknotes on behalf of the Government along with the "Big Four" banks of the period: the Farmers Bank of China, Bank of Communications and Central Bank of the Republic of China. Its headquarters are in Xicheng District, Beijing.

As of 31 December 2009, it was the second largest lender in China overall, and the 5th largest bank in the world by market capitalization value.As of 30 June 2015, it has the third highest proportion of interest payable of Chinese companies

Daqing Bank's Dalian Branch 1910, now Dalian branch of China CITIC Bank

The Bank of China's history began in 1905, when the Qing government established Daqing Hubu Bank[5] (in Chinese in Beijing, which was in 1908 renamed to Daqing Bank (in Chinese  When the Republic of China was established in 1912, it was further renamed as Bank of China by President Sun Yat-sen's government, adding a new role of the central bank.

After the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949, the Bank of China effectively split into two operations. Part of the bank relocated to Taiwan with the Kuomintang KMT government. It was privatised in 1971 to become the International Commercial Bank of China . It has subsequently merged with the Taiwan Bank of Communications (Chiao Tung Bank, to become the Mega International Commercial Bank  The Mainland operation is the current entity known as the Bank of China.

It is the second largest lender in China overall, and the fifth largest bank in the world by market capitalization value.[3] Once 100% owned by the central government, via China Central Huijin and National Council for Social Security Fund SSF, an Initial public offering IPO of its shares took place in June 2006, the free float is at present over 26%. In the Forbes Global 2000 it ranked as the 21st-largest company in the world.

It is the most international of China's banks, with branches on every inhabited continent. Outside of mainland China, BOC also operates in 27 countries and areas including Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Russia, Hungary, United States, Panama, Brazil, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Zambia, South Africa, and a branch office in the Cayman Islands. In December 2010, the Bank of China New York branch began offering renminbi products for Americans. It was the first major Chinese bank to offer such a product.

Although it is present in the above countries/territories, its operations outside China accounted for less than 4% of the activity of the bank by both profits and assets. Mainland China accounts for 60% of the bank by profits and 76% by assets as at December 2005.....

Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank AG literally "German Bank"; pronounced is a German global banking and financial services company with its headquarters in the Deutsche Bank Twin Towers in Frankfurt. It has more than 100,000 employees in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and the emerging markets. In 2009, Deutsche Bank was the largest foreign exchange dealer in the world with a market share of 21 percent.The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.

The bank offers financial products and services for corporate and institutional clients along with private and business clients. Services include sales, trading, research and origination of debt and equity; mergers and acquisitions M&A risk management products, such as derivatives, corporate finance, wealth management, retail banking, fund management, and transaction banking.

On 26 July 2011, along with its second quarter earnings report, Deutsche Bank reported that Anshu Jain, head of investment banking and Juergen Fitschen, head of the German business, would replace Josef Ackermann as co-CEOs starting in 2012. Fears that Deutsche Bank could neglect its German roots and expand risk-taking activities prompted key members of the supervisory board to opt for the dual CEO model. Deutsche Bank is listed on both the Frankfurt FWB and New York stock exchanges NYSE.


On 7 June 2015, the co-CEOs, Juergen Fitschen and Anshu Jain, both offered their resignations to the bank's supervisory board, which resignations were accepted. Anshu Jain's resignation takes effect on 30 June 2015, although he will provide consultancy to the bank until January 2016. Juergen Fitschen will temporarily continue as joint CEO until 19 May 2016. The appointment of John Cryan as joint CEO was announced, effective 1 July 2015; he will become sole CEO at the end of Juergen Fitschen's term.

In January 2014 Deutsche Bank reported a €1.2 billion $1.6 billion pre-tax loss for the fourth quarter of 2013. This came after analysts had predicted a profit of nearly €600 million, according to FactSet estimates. Revenues slipped by 16% versus the prior year.

According to the Scorpio Partnership Global Private Banking Benchmark 2014 the company had 384.1 USD Bn of assets under management, an increase of 13.7% on 2013......

BNP Paribas

The firm is a universal bank split into three strategic business units: Retail Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking and Investment Solutions (which includes Asset Management, custodial banking, and real estate services). BNP Paribas's four domestic markets are France, Italy, Belgium, and Luxembourg. It also has significant retail operations in the United States, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine, and North Africa, as well as large-scale investment banking operations in New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
BNP Paribas escaped the 2007/09 credit crisis relatively unscathed reporting a €3 billion net profit for the year of 2008, and €5.8 billion for 2009, both years boosted by profits from trading in its 
The Banque National de Paris S.A. (BNP) resulted from a merger of two French banks BNCI and CNEP in 1966.
The Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas S.A. (Bank of Paris and the Netherlands), or Paribas was formed from two investment banks based respectively in Paris and Amsterdam, in 1872. Les Pays-Bas The Low-Countries is French for the Netherlands.

In May 2000, BNP and Paribas merged to form BNP Paribas, which is thus descended from four founding banking institutions.

Background and heritage as four banks: 1820–2000
Main articles: Comptoir national d'escompte de Paris and Banque nationale pour le commerce et l'industrie
On 7 March 1848, the French Provisional Government founded the Comptoir national d'escompte de Paris CNEP in response to the financial shock caused by the revolution of February 1848. The upheaval destroyed the old credit system, which was already struggling to provide sufficient capital to meet the demands of the railway boom and the resulting growth of industry. The CEP grew steadily in France and overseas, although in 1889 there was a crisis in which it was temporarily placed in receivership.

Separately, on 18 April 1932, the French government replaced Banque nationale de crédit BNC, which failed as a result of the 1930s recession, with the new bank Banque nationale pour le commerce et l'industrie BNCI. The former banks headquarter and staff were used to create BNCI with fresh capital of 100 million francs. The bank initially grew rapidly through absorbing a number of regional banks that got into financial trouble. After the Second World War, it continued to grow steadily. It grew its retail business in France and its commercial business overseas in the French colonial empire.

After the end of the Second World War, the French state decided to "put banks and credit to work for national reconstruction". René Pleven, then Minister of Finance, launched a massive reorganization of the banking industry. A law passed on 2 December 1945 and which went into effect on 1 January 1946 nationalized the four leading French retail banks: Banque nationale pour le commerce et l'industrie BNCI, Comptoir national d'escompte de Paris CNEP, Crédit Lyonnais, and Société Générale.

In 1966, the French government decided to merge Comptoir national d'escompte de Paris with Banque nationale pour le commerce et l'industrie to create one new bank called Banque Nationale de Paris 
The bank was re-privatised in 1993 under the leadership of Michel Pébereau as part of a second Chirac government's privatization policy....

JPMorgan Chase

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational banking and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest bank in the United States, and the world's sixth largest bank by total assets, with total assets of US$2.6 trillion. It is a major provider of financial services, and according to Forbes magazine is the world's third largest public company based on a composite ranking. The hedge fund unit of JPMorgan Chase is the second largest hedge fund in the United States. The company was formed in 2000, when Chase Manhattan Corporation merged with J.P. Morgan & Co.

The J.P. Morgan brand, historically known as Morgan, is used by the investment banking, asset management, private banking, private wealth management, and treasury & securities services divisions. Fiduciary activity within private banking and private wealth management is done under the aegis of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.-the actual trustee. The Chase brand is used for credit card services in the United States and Canada, the bank's retail banking activities in the United States, and commercial banking. The corporate headquarters is located at 270 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The retail and commercial bank is headquartered in Chase Tower, Chicago Loop, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.JPMorgan Chase & Co. is considered to be a universal bank.

JPMorgan Chase is one of the Big Four banks of the United States, along with Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo. According to Bloomberg, as of October 2011, JPMorgan Chase had surpassed Bank of America as the largest U.S. bank by assets.

As of June 2008, the JPMorgan logo used for the company's Investment Banking, Asset Management, and Treasury & Securities Services units
JPMorgan Chase, in its current structure, is the result of the combination of several large U.S. banking companies since 1996, including Chase Manhattan Bank, J.P. Morgan & Co., Bank One, Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual. Going back further, its predecessors include major banking firms among which are Chemical Bank, Manufacturers Hanover, First Chicago Bank, National Bank of Detroit, Texas Commerce Bank, Providian Financial and Great Western Bank. Its original predecessor, the Bank of the Manhattan Company, was the second oldest banking corporation in the United States, and the 31st oldest bank in the world, having been established on September 1, 1799 by Aaron Burr.

The New York Chemical Manufacturing Company was founded in 1823 as a maker of various chemicals. In 1824, the company amended its charter to perform banking activities and created the Chemical Bank of New York. After 1851, the bank was separated from its parent and grew organically and through a series of mergers, most notably with Corn Exchange Bank in 1954, Texas Commerce Bank (a large bank in Texas) in 1986, and Manufacturer's Hanover Trust Company in 1991 (the first major bank merger "among equals"). In the 1980s and early 1990s, Chemical emerged as one of the leaders in the financing of leveraged buyout transactions. In 1984, Chemical launched Chemical Venture Partners to invest in private equity transactions alongside various financial sponsors. By the late 1980s, Chemical developed its reputation for financing buyouts, building a syndicated leveraged finance business and related advisory businesses under the auspices of pioneering investment banker, Jimmy Lee. At many points throughout this history, Chemical Bank was the largest bank in the United States (either in terms of assets or deposit market share).

In 1996, Chemical Bank acquired Chase Manhattan. Although Chemical was the nominal survivor, it took the better-known Chase name. To this day, JPMorgan Chase retains Chemical's pre-1996 stock price history, as well as Chemical's former headquarters at 270 Park Avenue.
The logo used by Chase following the merger with the Manhattan Bank in 1954
The Chase Manhattan Bank was formed upon the 1955 purchase of Chase National Bank (established in 1877) by the Bank of the Manhattan Company (established in 1799),the company's oldest predecessor institution. The Bank of the Manhattan Company was the creation of Aaron Burr, who transformed The Manhattan Company from a water carrier into a bank.
According to page 115 of An Empire of Wealth by John Steele Gordon, the origin of this strand of JPMorgan Chase's history runs as follows:

At the turn of the nineteenth century, obtaining a bank charter required an act of the state legislature. This of course injected a powerful element of politics into the process and invited what today would be called corruption but then was regarded as business as usual. Hamilton's political enemy-and eventual murderer-Aaron Burr was able to create a bank by sneaking a clause into a charter for a company, called the Manhattan Company, to provide clean water to New York City. The innocuous-looking clause allowed the company to invest surplus capital in any lawful enterprise. Within six months of the company's creation, and long before it had laid a single section of water pipe, the company opened a bank, the Bank of the Manhattan Company. Still in existence, it is today J. P. Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States.

Led by David Rockefeller during the 1970s and 1980s, Chase Manhattan emerged as one of the largest and most prestigious banking concerns, with leadership positions in syndicated lending, treasury and securities services, credit cards, mortgages, and retail financial services. Weakened by the real estate collapse in the early 1990s, it was acquired by Chemical Bank in 1996, retaining the Chase name. Before its merger with J.P. Morgan & Co., the new Chase expanded the investment and asset management groups through two acquisitions. In 1999, it acquired San Francisco-based Hambrecht & Quist for $1.35 billion. In April 2000, UK-based Robert Fleming & Co. was purchased by the new Chase Manhattan Bank for $7.7 billion......

HSBC

HSBC has around 6,600 offices in 80 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, North America and South America, and around 60 million customers. As of 2014, it was the world's sixth-largest public company, according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine.

HSBC is organised within four business groups: Commercial Banking; Global Banking and Markets investment banking Retail Banking and Wealth Management; and Global Private Banking.

HSBC has a dual primary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the Hang Seng Index and the FTSE 100 Index. As of 6 July 2012 it had a market capitalisation of £102.7 billion, the second-largest company listed on the London Stock Exchange, after Royal Dutch Shell. It has secondary listings on the New York Stock Exchange, Euronext Paris and the Bermuda Stock Exchange.

In February 2015 the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released information about the business conduct of HSBC under the title Swiss Leaks. The ICIJ alleges that the bank profited from doing business with tax evaders and other clients. BBC reported that HSBC had put pressure on media not to report about the controversy, with British newspaper The Guardian claiming HSBC advertising had been put "on pause" after The Guardian's coverage of the matter.Peter Oborne, chief political commentator at The Daily Telegraph resigned from the paper; in an open letter he claimed the newspaper suppressed negative stories and dropped investigations into HSBC because of the bank's advertising.

The HSBC Main Building in 1901 in Hong Kong, the headquarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation from 1886 to 1933 for its Hong Kong operation.

The HSBC Building in 2005 in Shanghai, the headquarters of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation from 1923 to 1955 for its Shanghai operation.
For more information on the history of HSBC prior to the founding of HSBC Holdings in 1991, see The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
The Hong kong and Shanghai Bank was founded by Scotsman Sir Thomas Sutherland in the then British colony of Hong Kong on 3 March 1865, and in Shanghai a month later, benefiting from the start of trading into China, including opium trading. It was formally incorporated as The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation by an Ordinance of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong on 14 August 1866 In 1980, HSBC acquired a 51% shareholding in US-based Marine Midland Bank, which it extended to full ownership in 1987. On 6 October 1989, it was renamed by the Legislative Council, by an amendment to its governing ordinance originally made in 1929, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, and became registered as a regulated bank with the then Banking Commissioner of the Government of Hong Kong.

HSBC Holdings plc, originally incorporated in England and Wales, in the United Kingdom, as "Vernat Trading Company Limited" on 1 January 1959 and then renamed "Vernat Eastern Agencies Limited" later in the same year, was by then a non-trading, dormant shelf company under a different, nominal name, when it completed its transformation on 25 March 1991into the parent holding company to the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited now as a subsidiary, in preparation for its purchase of the UK-based Midland Bank and the impending transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to China. HSBC Holdings' acquisition of Midland Bank was completed in 1992 and gave HSBC a substantial market presence in the United Kingdom. As part of the takeover conditions for the acquisition, HSBC Holdings plc was required to relocate its world headquarters from Hong Kong to London in 1993.

Major acquisitions in South America started with the purchase of the Banco Bamerindus of Brazil for $1bn in March 1997 and the acquisition of Roberts SA de Inversiones of Argentina for $600m in May 1997. In May 1999, HSBC expanded its presence in the United States with the purchase of Republic National Bank of New York for $10.3bn.

The HSBC Main Building in Hong Kong, which was designed by Norman Foster and completed in 1985
Expansion into Continental Europe took place in April 2000 with the acquisition of Crédit Commercial de France, a large French bank for £6.6bn. In July 2001 HSBC bought Demirbank, an insolvent Turkish bank.In July 2002, Arthur Andersen announced that HSBC USA, Inc., through a new subsidiary, Wealth and Tax Advisory Services USA Inc. WTAS, would purchase a portion of Andersen's tax practice. The new HSBC Private Client Services Group would serve the wealth and tax advisory needs of high-net-worth individuals. Then in August 2002 HSBC acquired Grupo Financiero Bital, SA de CV, Mexico's third largest retail bank for $1.1bn.

In November 2002, HSBC expanded further in the United States. Under the chairmanship of Sir John Bond, it spent £9 billion (US$15.5 billion) to acquire Household Finance Corporation HFC, a US credit card issuer and subprime lender In a 2003 cover story, The Banker noted "when banking historians look back, they may conclude that it was the deal of the first decade of the 21st century". Under the new name of HSBC Finance, the division was the second largest subprime lender in the US.
On 22 November 2001, the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp would provide a fixed-rate mortgage to buyers of Cheung Kong Holdings Victoria Towers residential development.
The new headquarters of HSBC Holdings at 8 Canada Square, London officially opened in April 2003.
In September 2003 HSBC bought Polski Kredyt Bank SA of Poland for $7.8m. In June 2004 HSBC expanded into China buying 19.9% of the Bank of Communications of ShanghaiIn the United Kingdom HSBC acquired Marks & Spencer Retail Financial Services Holdings Ltd for £763m in December 2004.Acquisitions in 2005 included Metris Inc, a US credit card issuer for $1.6bn in August and 70.1% of Dar es Salaam Investment Bank of Iraq in October. In April 2006, HSBC bought the 90 branches in Argentina of Banca Nazionale del Lavoro for $155m In December 2007 HSBC acquired the Chinese Bank in Taiwan.In May 2008, HSBC acquired IL&FS Investment, an Indian retail broking firm.

In 2005, Bloomberg Markets magazine accused HSBC of money-laundering for drug dealers and state sponsors of terrorism. Then-CEO Stephen Green said that "This was a singular and wholly irresponsible attack on the bank's international compliance procedures", but subsequent investigation indicated that it was accurate and proved that the bank was involved in money laundering for the Sinaloa Cartel and throughout Mexico.] U.S. Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer characterised HSBC compliance during this period as "stunning failures of oversight - and worse .The record of dysfunction that prevailed at HSBC for many years was astonishing."

In March 2009, HSBC announced that it would shut down the branch network of its HSBC Finance arm in the U.S., leading to nearly 6,000 job losses and leaving only the credit card business to continue operating. Chairman Stephen Green stated, "HSBC has a reputation for telling it as it is. With the benefit of hindsight, this is an acquisition we wish we had not undertaken.According to analyst Colin Morton, "the takeover was an absolute disaster

Although it was at the centre of the subprime storm, the wider group has weathered the financial crisis of 2007–2010 better than other global banks. According to Bloomberg, "HSBC is one of world's strongest banks by some measures". When HM Treasury required all UK banks to increase their capital in October 2007, the group transferred £750 million to London within hours, and announced that it had just le In March 2009, it announced that it had made US$9.3bn of profit in 2008 and announced a £12.5bn US$17.7bn; HK$138bn rights issue to enable it to buy other banks that were struggling to survive. However, uncertainty over the rights' issue's implications for institutional investors caused volatility in the Hong Kong stock market: on 9 March 2009 HSBC's share price fell 24.14%, with 12 million shares sold in the last few seconds of trading....

China Construction Bank

China Construction Bank Corporation CCB; simplified Chinese:  traditional Chinese: pinyin: Zhōngguó Jiànshè Yínháng; often abbreviated as  SSE: 601939, SEHK: 0939, OTC Pink: CICHY is one of the "big four" banks in the People's Republic of China. In 2015 CCB was the 2nd largest bank in the world by market capitalization and 6th largest company in the world. The bank has approximately 13,629 domestic branches. In addition, it maintains overseas branches in Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, New York, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland, and a wholly owned subsidiary in London. Its total assets reached   trillion in 2009. Its headquarters is in Xicheng District, Beijing.

China Construction Bank, Shenyang
CCB was founded on 1 October 1954 under the name of People's Construction Bank of China Chinese: pinyin: Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiànshè Yínháng), and later changed to China Construction Bank on 26 March 1996.

In January 2002, CCB Chairman Wang Xuebing resigned from the bank after being charged with accepting bribes while he was employed with Bank of China; he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. In March 2005, his successor, Zhang Enzhao, resigned for "personal reasons". Just prior to his resignation, he had been charged in a lawsuit with accepting a US$1 million bribe. He was later sentenced to 15 years in jail in connection with the case

China Construction Bank Corporation was formed as a joint-stock commercial bank in September 2004 as a result of a separation procedure undertaken by its predecessor, China Construction Bank, under the PRC Company Law. Following the China Banking Regulatory Committee's approval on 14 September 2004, the next day the bank (Jianyin) became a separate legal entity, owned by the Chinese government holding company, Central Huijin Investment Company or simply Huijin.
During the 2013 Korean crisis, the China Construction Bank halted business with a North Korean bank accused by the United States of financing Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs.
In 2014, China Construction Bank ranks the 2nd in Forbes’ 11th annual Global 2000 ranking of the biggest, most powerful and most valuable companies in the world.
Investment by Bank of America
In 2005, Bank of America acquired a 9% stake in China Construction Bank for US$3 billion. It represented the company's largest foray into China's growing banking sector. Bank of America currently has offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Guangzhou and sought to expand its Chinese business as a result of this deal.
On or about 5 June 2008, Bank of America purchased 6 billion H-shares for approximately HK$2.42 per share using call options under a formula in the initial acquisition agreement. Bank of America now holds about 25.1 billion H-shares, representing about 10.75% of CCB's issued shares. Bank of America may not sell the 6 billion shares that it purchased from Huijin using the call option before 29 August 2011 without prior consent of CCB. Bank of America still has the option to purchase additional shares.
In May 2009, speculation was raised that US$7.3 billion worth of CCB shares had been sold by BoA, to help bolster capital during stress testing.
On August 29, 2011, Bank of America announced it would sell approximately half its stake in CCB 13.1 billion shares worth about US$8.3 billion to an undisclosed group of investors.
In September 2013, Bank of America sold its remaining stake in the China Construction Bank for as much as $1.5 billion.........

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd. ICBC; simplified Chinese traditional Chinese:  pinyin: Zhōngguó Gōngshāng Yínháng, more commonly just Gōngháng is a Chinese multinational banking company, and the largest bank in the world by total assets and by market capitalization. It is one of China's 'Big Four' state-owned commercial banks the other three being the Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, and China Construction Bank. It was founded as a limited company on January 1, 1984. As of Mar Generally considered the largest bank in the world by assets; it is the first Chinese bank to achieve such a feat  It ranks number 1 in The Banker's Top 1000 World Banks ranking and number 1 on Forbes Global 2000 list of the world's biggest public companies.
Recentism.svg
This article or section may be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective September 2009
ICBC opened a branch in Luxembourg which became the European headquarters of the bank in 2011. ICBC (Europe) S.A. operates a network covering branches in major European cities, namely Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Warsaw and Lisbon.
The bank's Hong Kong operations are listed under the name ICBC Asia. It has purchased the Hong Kong subsidiary of Fortis Bank and rebranded it under its own name on 10 October 2005.
In the runup to its planned initial public offering, on 28 April 2006, three "strategic investors" injected US$3.7 billion into ICBC :
Goldman Sachs purchased a 5.75% stake for US$2.6 billion, the largest sum Goldman Sachs has ever invested-
Dresdner Bank (a wholly owned subsidiary of Commerzbank) invested US$1 billion.
American Express invested US$200 million.
World's largest IPO at the time

ICBC Bank in Beijing

The ICBC building in Xi'an

The ICBC building in Shanghai

The ICBC building in Tokyo

ICBC Canada

Torre Madero Office, the actual ICBC building in Buenos Aires
ICBC was simultaneously listed on both the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Shanghai Stock Exchange on 27 October 2006. It was the world's largest IPO at that time valued at US$21.9 billion, surpassing the previous record US$18.4 billion IPO by Japan's NTT DoCoMo in 1998. In 2010, AgBank broke ICBC's IPO record when it raised $22.1 billion. China's largest commercial bank was also the first company to debut simultaneously on both the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges.
ICBC raised at least US$14 billion in Hong Kong H-shares and another US$5.1 billion in Shanghai A-shares. Due to heavy subscriptions, the greenshoe (i.e. over-allotment) placements were exercised and ICBC's take rose to US$21.9 billion 17% of ICBC's market value before the IPO, divided in US$16 billion in Hong Kong and US$5.9 billion in Shanghai. Following the global offering, the free float of shares was 22.14% of the market capitalization.

At the end of its first day of trading, the bank's shares closed up almost 15% at HK$3.52 in Hong Kong, compared with the listing price of HK$3.07, which was set at the top of the indicative range due to the strong demand. According to Bloomberg, ICBC's market capitalisation at the end of trade based on its Hong Kong shares was US$156.3 billion, making its equity the world's fifth highest among banks, just behind JPMorgan Chase. Meanwhile, ICBC's Shanghai-listed A-shares recorded more modest gains and ended up 5.1% from the offering price of RMB 3.12......

Air Lease Corporation

Air Lease Corporation ALC is an American aircraft leasing company founded in 2010 and headed by Steven Udvar-Házy. Air Lease purchases new commercial aircraft through direct orders from Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and ATR, and leases them to its airline customers worldwide through specialized aircraft leasing and financing.

As of the end of 2014, Air Lease reported that it owns 213 Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, and ATR aircraft, which it leases to over 80 airlines across 47 countries in every major geographical region in the world.

Air Lease provides airlines with net operating leases, which require the lessee to pay for maintenance, insurance, taxes and all other aircraft operating expenses during the lease term. 

As of 2015, Air Lease has on order approximately 400 aircraft, worth over US$30 billion, and had a 2014 market capitalization of US$ 4.0 billion.

Steven Udvar-Házy, chairman and chief executive of Air Lease, was a founder of Century City aircraft leasing giant International Lease Finance Corp. ILFC and stayed on as chief executive after it was sold to American International Group Inc AIG in 1990.Udvar-Házy left ILFC to start Air Lease in 2010 following a dispute with AIG.

Udvar-Házy started Air Lease in February 2010 with former ILFC chief operating officer John Plueger, who has the same role at the new company. On April 19, 2011, AL had an initial public offering of Class A stock on the New York Stock Exchange, and raised an estimated total of US$ 965.6 million. Udvar-Hazy, estimated by Forbes in 2015 to have a net worth of $3.7 billion, has a 7 percent stake.......

East West Bank

East West Bank Chinese: simplified:  Pinyin: huá měi yín háng is a bank based in the state of California in the United States, with assets of $31.1 billion and a market capitalization of over $6.0 billion.[2] Originally founded to serve the Chinese American community in California, it now has over 130 branch locations in the U.S and Greater China, including branches in northern and southern California, Georgia, Nevada, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Washington. In Greater China, East West’s presence includes full service branches in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shantou and Shenzhen, and representative offices in Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Taipei and Xiamen.  It is headquartered in Pasadena, California. As of its 2009 acquisition from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation of the assets of United Commercial Bank, the resulting bank was projected to start with almost $23 billion in assets, putting it ahead of L.A.-based City National as the largest bank based in Southern California.

The current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is Dominic Ng and the President and Chief Operating Officer is Julia S. Gouw.

East West Bank was founded in 1973 as a savings and loan company targeting the Chinese American community in Southern California. It became a state-chartered commercial bank in 1995. The Chinese name is not a direct translation of east and west, rather it is two characters, which depend on context.  can mean magnificent or splendid, but is often used in conjunction with other characters to refer to China and Chinese overseas. Likewise  can mean 'pretty' or 'USA, American'.

Map of cities with East West Bank branches.
In August 2004, East West Bancorp, the parent company of East West Bank, acquired Trust Bank, a Chinese American bank that was based in Monterey Park, California and had assets valued at $235 million. All four branches of Trust Bank were rebranded to East West Bank's name and shareholders of Trust Bank received a total value of $32.9 million in East West Bank stock for the acquisition. According to East West Bankcorp's press release, the acquisition was estimated to be accretive to 2004 earnings per share by $0.02.

In March 2006, East West Bank again merged with another Chinese American bank when East West Bankcorp acquired Standard Bank, headquartered in Monterey Park, California. Standard Bank had six branch locations, all located in Los Angeles county, and had assets valued at $923 million. A total value of $200.3 million was paid in the acquisition, consisting of $70.1 million in cash and 3,547,314 shares of common stock in East West Bancorp. 

In 2007, it purchased Desert Community Bank, a community bank operating in the Victor Valley region of California. Desert Community Bank branches remain branded as such and did not change to East West Bank, however DCB members have access to the East West Bank network and vice versa.

In 2009, it purchased the assets of failed United Commercial Bank, via a transaction by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This expanded East West Bank's reach with UCB's 63 U.S. branches, including 17 in Southern California and into the Chinese American communities of Houston, Boston, and Atlanta, as well as branches in Hong Kong and China.

East West Bank similarly assumed the deposits, some assets, and all four branches of Washington First International Bank in Seattle upon the latter's failure on June 11, 2010.

Its spokeswoman used to be figure skater Michelle Kwan. East West Bank also purchased the naming rights to the East West Ice Palace, an ice rink arena in Artesia, California. It also owns the naming rights to the East West Bank Classic, a tennis tournament on the WTA Tour.......

TD Bank, N.A

TD Bank, N.A., is a United States national bank chartered and supervised by the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. TD Bank offers banking, insurance, brokerage, and investment banking services in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

The bank is a successor to the Portland Savings Bank, which started in Portland, Maine, in 1852, and later became Banknorth. The bank took its current name, TD Bank, N.A., in 2008, through the acquisition and renaming of Commerce Bank and its subsequent merger with TD Banknorth. In 2013, TD Bank, N.A. centralized its headquarters in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S.

The company is a subsidiary of the Canadian Toronto-Dominion Bank based in Toronto, Ontario. The bank's "TD" initials, first popularized in Canada, are used officially for all American operations. The bank embraces a retail approach to banking; its branches are called "stores" and have extended operation hours.

On May 10, 2000-after various mergers and acquisitions-Banknorth Group Inc. of Portland, Maine "Banknorth" came into being, as a holding company for banking and insurance activities, primarily serving the New England area of the United States. On December 31, 2001, Banknorth Group, Inc., merged its seven subsidiary banks into one bank- Banknorth N-under the Peoples Heritage Bank charter dating back to 1852, with one OCC charter.

In August 2004, Toronto-Dominion Bank-which operates as TD Bank Financial Group-became the majority owner, renaming it "TD Banknorth, N.A." In connection with the transaction,-Banknorth changed its name to TD Banknorth Inc. and reincorporated in Delaware. In July, 2005, TD Banknorth announced that it had acquired Hudson United Bank, based in Mahwah, New Jersey. The acquisition expanded TD Banknorth’s presence in New York and extended the franchise into northern New Jersey and Philadelphia. In April 2006, TD Banknorth announced acquisition of Interchange Financial Services Corp., adding 30 branches in the New Jersey counties of Bergen and Essex.

Banknorth added a sister company, TD Ameritrade, which was formed after the Ameritrade Holding Corporation acquired TD Waterhouse USA from Toronto-Dominion Bank in 2006. On November 20, 2006, TD Bank Financial Group (TDBFG) and TD Banknorth entered into an agreement in which TDBFG would acquire all remaining shares of TD Banknorth. This was completed on April 20, 2007, and TD Banknorth became a wholly owned subsidiary of TDBFG, with the bank's headquarters in Portland, Maine.

On October 2, 2007, TDBFG and Commerce Bancorp, Inc. of New Jersey announced that they had signed a definitive agreement for TDBFG to acquire Commerce Bank in a 75% stock and 25% cash transaction valued at US$8.5 billion.

Under the agreement, Commerce shareholders received 0.4142 shares of a TDBFG common share and US$10.50 in cash in exchange for each common share of Commerce Bancorp Inc. The consideration was negotiated on the basis of US$42.00 per share value for Commerce Bank. The transaction value, based on the October 1, 2007 closing price of TDBFG common shares, was $42.37.

Following the completion of the transaction, TDBFG expected to take a one-time restructuring charge of approximately US$490 million pre-tax. The deal closed on March 31, 2008. Commerce Bank employees were given a welcome kit with 2 TD pins (to replace the previous "C" pin worn by staff), a small bag of green M&M's, and a brochure of the history of TDBFG.

On March 20, 2008, the combined company announced it would be doing business in the United States as "TD Commerce Bank" after the merger. A TD Banknorth competitor, Commerce Bank & Trust Company, of Worcester, Massachusetts, filed a lawsuit against TD Banknorth, to bar the bank from using the name TD Commerce Bank in its existing Massachusetts branches. On May 2, 2008, federal Judge F. Dennis Saylor granted a preliminary injunction, prohibiting the use of the TD Commerce name in Massachusetts branches.As a result, TDBFG decided not to go forward with its original rebranding plans. Instead, it decided that the "Commerce Bank" name, red "C" logo, and red theme would be retired and the branches would carry the brand name "TD Bank," although the "America's Most Convenient Bank" tagline would remain as was originally planned

All Commerce branches became TD Bank on October 31, 2008, after a slow phasing in of the TD name, logos, and colors in the branches. As of November 1, 2008, the Commerce Bank website redirected to the TD Bank website. At the same time, Toronto-Dominion also rebranded many of the TD Banknorth branches in the Commerce business areas as TD Bank, while closing several branches that overlapped with Commerce branches in the same area. In the TD Banknorth bank region, the rebranding occurred in September 2009, which completed the merger of the two banks under the TD Bank brand name.......

Federal Reserve Bank

A Federal Reserve Bank is a regional bank of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. There are twelve in total, one for each of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts that were created by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. The banks are jointly responsible for implementing the monetary policy set forth by the Federal Open Market Committee, and are divided as follows:

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Some banks also possess branches, with the whole system being headquartered at the Eccles Building in Washington, D.C.

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The twelve Reserve Banks buildings in 1936
Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of Treasury, started a movement in 1780 advocating for the creation of a central bank. The Bank Bill created by Hamilton was a proposal to institute a national bank in order to improve the economic stability of the nation after its independence from Britain. Although the national bank was to be used as a tool for the government, it was to be privately owned. Hamilton wrote several articles providing information regarding his national bank idea where he expressed the validity and "would be" success of the national bank based upon: incentives for the rich to invest, ownerships of bonds and shares, being rooted in fiscal management, and stable monetary system.

In response to this, the First Bank of the United States was established in 1791, its charter signed by George Washington. The First Bank of the United States was headquartered in Philadelphia, but had branches in other major cities. The Bank performed the basic banking functions of accepting deposits, issuing bank notes, making loans and purchasing securities.

When its charter expired 20 years later, the United States was without a central bank for a few years, during which it suffered an unusual inflation.[citation needed] In 1816, James Madison signed the Second Bank of the United States into existence. When, in 1833, before that bank's charter expired, president Jackson removed the government funds as part of the Bank War, and the United States went without a central bank for 40 years.

A financial crisis known as the Panic of 1907 was headed off by a private conglomerate led by J. P. Morgan), who set themselves up as "lenders of last resort" to banks in trouble. This effort succeeded in stopping the panic, and led to calls for a Federal agency to do the same thing.citation needed

In response to this,citation needed the Federal Reserve System was created by the Federal Reserve Act of December 23, 1913, establishing a new central bank intended to serve as a formal "lender of last resort" to banks in times of liquidity crisis-panics where depositors tried to withdraw their money faster than a normal fractional-reserve-based bank could pay it out.

The Federal Reserve Act presented by Congressman Carter Glass and Senator Robert L. Owen incorporated modifications by Woodrow Wilson and allowed for a regional Federal Reserve System, operating under a supervisory board in Washington, D.C. Congress approved the Act, and President Wilson signed it into law on December 23, 1913. The Act, "Provided for the establishment of Federal Reserve Banks, to furnish an elastic currency, to afford means of rediscounting commercial paper, to establish a more effective supervision of banking in the United States, and for other purposes. The Act provided for a Reserve Bank Organization Committee that would designate no less than eight but no more than twelve cities to be Federal Reserve cities, and would then divide the nation into districts, each district to contain one Federal Reserve City.

The legislation provided for a system that included a number of regional Federal Reserve Banks and a seven-member governing board. All national banks were required to join the system and other banks could join.

On April 2, 1914, the Reserve Bank Organization Committee announced its decision, and twelve Federal Reserve banks were established to cover various districts throughout the country. Those opposed to the establishment of an overwhelmingly powerful New York Fed prevailed in their desire that its scope and influence should be limited. Initially, this bank's influence was restricted to New York State. Nonetheless, with over $20,000,000 in capital stock, the New York Bank had nearly four times the capitalization of the smallest banks in the system, such as Atlanta and Minneapolis. As a result, it was impossible to prevent the New York Fed from being the largest and most dominant bank in the system.

The Federal Reserve Banks opened for business in November 1914. The New York Fed opened for business under the leadership of Benjamin Strong, Jr. , previously president of the Bankers Trust Company, on November 16, 1914. The initial staff consisted of seven officers and 85 clerks, many on loan from local banks. Mr. Strong recalled the starting days at the Bank in a speech: "It may be said that the Bank's equipment consisted of little more than a copy of the Federal Reserve Act." During its first day of operation, the Bank took in $100 million from 211 member banks; made two rediscounts; and received its first shipment of Federal Reserve Notes. Congress created Federal Reserve notes to provide the nation with a flexible supply of currency. The notes were to be issued to Federal Reserve Banks for subsequent transmittal to banking institutions in accordance with the needs of the public.

The U.S. Federal Reserve System or the Fed of which the twelve regional Federal Reserve banks are a part was created by an Act of Congress in 1913 in a response to a series of economic crises at the turn of the early 20th century.

The Bank's staff grew rapidly during the early years, necessitating the need for a new home. Land was bought on a city block encompassing Liberty Street, Maiden Lane, William Street and Nassau Street. A public competition was held and the architectural firm of York & Sawyer submitted the winning design reminiscent of the palaces in Florence, Italy. The Bank's vaults, located 86 feet below street level, were built on Manhattan's bedrock. In 1924, the Fed moved into its new home. By 1927, the vault contained ten percent of the world's entire store of monetary gold.

The Fed is an independent financial institution formed within the United States, that works separately from the executive or judicial branches of government. The Federal Reserve System is considered to be an independent agency that exists outside of the cabinet of the executive and its powers are derived directly from Congress. Over the past century, the Fed’s power has expanded from its original roles such as a private response to problems in banking systems and to establishing a more effective supervisory role of banking systems in the United States, to its now current position of being a lender of last resort to banking institutions that require additional credit to stay afloat........

Bank of America

Bank of America abbreviated as BofA is an American multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets. As of 2013, Bank of America is the twenty-first largest company in the United States by total revenue. In 2010, Forbes listed Bank of America as the third biggest company in the world.

Bank of America provides its products and services through operating 5,100 banking centers, 16,300 ATMs, call centers, and online and mobile banking platforms. Its Consumer Real Estate Services segment offers consumer real estate products comprising fixed and adjustable-rate first-lien mortgage loans for home purchase and refinancing needs, home equity lines of credit, and home equity loans.

The bank's 2008 acquisition of Merrill Lynch made Bank of America the world's largest wealth management corporation and a major player in the investment banking market. According to the Scorpio Partnership Global Private Banking Benchmark 2014 it had assets under management AuM of USD 1,866.6 Bn an increase of 12.5% on 2013.

The company held 12.2% of all bank deposits in the United States in August 2009, and is one of the Big Four banks in the United States, along with Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo-its main competitors.] Bank of America operates-but doesn't necessarily maintain retail branches-in all 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia and more than 40 other countries. It has a retail banking footprint that serves approximately 50 million consumer and small business relationships at 5,151 banking centers and 16,259 automated teller machines ATMs.

Bank of America has been the subject of several lawsuits and investigations regarding both mortgages and financial disclosures dating back to the financial crisis, including a record settlement of $16.65 billion on August 21, 2014........

International Lease Finance Corporation

The International Lease Finance Corporation .ILFC. is an aircraft lessor headquartered in the Constellation Place (formerly the MGM Tower) in Century City, Los Angeles, California.

It is the world's largest aircraft lessor by value, though ILFC's rival, General Electric's GECAS unit, has more aircraft. It leases Boeing and Airbus aircraft to major airlines worldwide, including Aeroméxico, Air Canada, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, Cyprus Airways, Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Air India, United Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Pakistan International Airlines, South African Airways, Emirates, Gulf Air and most recently, Delta Air Lines. After Virgin America delayed the delivery of its Airbus A320neo family jets until 2020, ILFC has become the launch customer for the type. The A320neo is planned to enter service in October 2015 with ILFC, 27 years after the first A320 was delivered.

Father and son team Leslie Gonda and Louis L. Gonda founded ILFC in 1973 along with Steven F. Udvar-Hazy. The company was acquired by international insurance giant AIG in 1990, although the unit was still run by Udvar-Hazy until he retired in February 2010; he was succeeded by vice-chairman Alan Lund. Henri Courpron, a former Airbus executive, was appointed as president and CEO of ILFC in May 2010.

On September 2, 2011, AIG filed with the SEC to spin off ILFC in an initial public offering.

In December 2012, AIG announced that it was selling a 90% stake in the company to a consortium of Chinese companies consisting of New China Trust, New China Life Insurance, P3 Investments and the China Aviation Industrial Fund to raise funds to repay its US$182B government bailout.

In August 2013, two of the Chinese companies withdrew their involvement in the deal. AIG had given a deadline for the completion of the deal as August 31, 2013, and alternatives were considered, such as an initial public offering.

On December 16, 2013, AIG announced they were selling its 100% stake in ILFC to AerCap Holdings N.V............

Insurance Institute of India

Insurance Institute of India

The Insurance Institute of India is an insurance education society of professionals established in 1955 in Mumbai for the purpose of imparting insurance education to persons engaged or interested in insurance. The institute conducts examinations at various levels. It is the professional institute in India devoted solely to insurance-related education.

Certificates and Diplomas are awarded by the institute to successful candidates. These are recognised by the Government of India, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority irda and insurers in India and abroad. These qualifications are recognised by similar institutes in the UK, Canada and the USA, for grant of exemption from some of their papers. The Sri Lanka Insurance Institute and the Royal Insurance Corporation of Bhutan are also affiliated to the institute.

Applicants can specialise in life insurance or general insurance/non-life branch. Examinations are held for several awards........

Travel insurance

Travel insurance




Travel insurance is insurance that is intended to cover medical expenses, trip cancellation, lost luggage, flight accident and other losses incurred while traveling, either internationally or within one's own country.

Travel insurance can usually be arranged at the time of the booking of a trip to cover exactly the duration of that trip, or a "multi-trip" policy can cover an unlimited number of trips within a set time frame. Some policies offer lower and higher medical-expense options; the higher ones are chiefly for countries that have extremely high medical costs, such as the USA.

Contents
* Coverage types
* Optional coverage
* Common exclusions
* External links
Coverage types
The most common risks that are covered by travel insurance plans are:

Medical emergency
Cancellation, curtailment and trip interruption
This section covers any unused travel and or accommodation costs, pre-paid charges (including any additional travel expenses incurred, provided they are deemed reasonable and necessary if a trip is canceled or cut short under a variety of circumstances, which may include any of the following, depending on the policy:
death, bodily injury, illness, disease, or pregnancy complications
compulsory quarantine
jury service
being called as a witness
termination of employment provided you did not know about it before you booked the holiday
being called up if you are a member of the armed forces or other public defense or safety organization
prohibition of travel by the government to the intended destination
officially recommended evacuation from the intended destination
official advisory against going to or remaining at the intended destination.......

The Royal Bank of Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland 

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc .also known as RBS Grou- is a British banking and insurance holding company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The group operates a wide variety of banking brands offering personal and business banking, private banking, insurance and corporate finance through its offices located in Europe, North America and Asia. In the UK and Ireland, its main subsidiary companies are The Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, Ulster Bank and Coutts. The group issues banknotes in Scotland and Northern Ireland and, as of 2014, The Royal Bank of Scotland is the only bank in the UK to still print £1 notes.

Outside the UK, from 1988 to 2015 it owned Citizens Financial Group, the 13th largest bank in the United States, and from 2004 to 2009 it was the second largest shareholder in the Bank of China, itself the world's fifth largest bank by market capitalisation in February 2008.

Before the 2008 collapse and the general financial crisis, RBS Group was very briefly the largest bank in the world and for a period was the second largest bank in the UK and Europe (fifth in stock market value), and the fifth largest in the world by market capitalisation. Subsequently, with a slumping share price and major loss of confidence, the bank fell sharply in the rankings, although in 2009 it was briefly the world's largest company by both assets -£1.9 trillion- and liabilities -£1.8 trillion). It received significant support from the UK government, which, as of August 2015, holds and manages a 73% stake through UK Financial Investments UKFI

The Group had a market capitalisation of approximately £20.4 billion as of 4 March 2014, making it the 26th largest company on the London Stock Exchange.In addition to its primary share listing on the LSE, the company is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange.



For the history of the Royal Bank of Scotland before the holding company, see The Royal Bank of Scotland.
By 1969, economic conditions were becoming more difficult for the banking sector. In response, the National Commercial Bank of Scotland merged with the Royal Bank of Scotland  The resulting company had 662 branches. The merger resulted in a new holding company, National and Commercial Banking Group Ltd. The English and Welsh branches were reorganised, until 1985, as Williams & Glyn's Bank, while the Scottish branches all transferred to the Royal Bank name. The holding company was renamed The Royal Bank of Scotland Group in 1979.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group footprints
During the late 1970s and early 1980s the Royal Bank was the subject of three separate takeover approaches. In 1979, Lloyds Bank, which had previously built up a 16.4% stake in the Royal Bank, made a takeover approach for the remaining shares it did not own. The offer was rejected by the board of directors on the basis that it was detrimental to the bank's operations. However, when the Standard Chartered Bank proposed a merger with the Royal Bank in 1980, the board responded favourably. Standard Chartered Bank was headquartered in London, although most of its operations were in the Far East, and the Royal Bank saw advantages in creating a truly international banking group. Approval was received from the Bank of England, and the two banks agreed a merger plan that would have seen the Standard Chartered acquire the Royal Bank and keep the UK operations based in Edinburgh. However, the bid was scuppered by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation .HSBC .which tabled a rival offer. The bid by HSBC was not backed by the Bank of England and was subsequently rejected by the Royal Bank's board. However the British government referred both bids to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; both were subsequently rejected as being against the public interest........

Standard Bank

Standard Bank

The bank now known as Standard Bank was formed in 1962 as a South African subsidiary of the British overseas bank Standard Bank, under the name The Standard Bank of South Africa.

The bank's origins can be traced to 1862, when a group of businessmen led by John Patersonformed a bank in London, initially under the name Standard Bank of British South Africa. The bank started operations in 1863 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and soon after opening it merged with several other banks including the Commercial Bank of Port Elizabeth, the Colesberg Bank, the British Kaffrarian Bank and the Fauresmith Bank.

It was prominent in financing and development of the diamond fields of Kimberley in 1867. The word "British" was dropped from the title in 1883. When gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand, the bank expanded northwards and on 11 October 1886 the bank started doing business in a tent at Ferreira's Camp (later to be called Johannesburg, thus becoming the first bank to open a branch on the Witwatersrand gold fields. On 1 November 1901 a second branch was opened in Eloff Street of Johannesburg.



Standard Bank in Adderley St, Cape Town
Until 1962 the British bank was formally known as the Standard Bank of South Africa, although by then its operations spread across Africa. When the South African operations were formed into a subsidiary in 1962, the parent changed its name to Standard Bank Limited, and the South African subsidiary took its parent's previous name.

In 1967 shares in the Standard Bank of South Africa were offered to the South African public, although the British parent company retained over 80% of the shares.
The parent bank merged in 1969 with Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China and the combined bank became known as Standard Chartered Bank. In 1969 the Standard Bank Investment Corporation (now Standard Bank Group) was established as the holding company of the South African bank. During the 1970s and 1980s Standard Chartered gradually reduced its shareholding, and sold its remaining 39% stake in Standard Bank Group in 1987, transferring complete ownership of the holding company to South African investors............