Economic crisis? Merrill Lynch cried bully on that. The Wall Street institution with the iconic bull logo is now the wealth management, brokerage, and investment banking arm of Bank of America. The retail banking giant acquired the distressed investment bank in 2009 in a move that greatly expanded its wealth management and international operations. Merrill Lynch is among the world's top brokerages, with some $2.2 trillion in customer assets. The company also provides corporate finance, investment banking, and research services to institutional, commercial, and government clients. Merrill Lynch has offices in some 40 countries worldwide.