Merrill Lynch (known as "The Bull") provides investment banking and brokerage services to retail, institutional, and government clients. The company operates in two segments: Global Investment Management (institutional investors and governments) and Global Wealth Management (private clients and small businesses). The company also owns 49% of asset manager BlackRock, which absorbed Merrill Lynch's Investment Managers division, uniting Merrill's equity and mutual fund offerings and BlackRock's fixed-income prowess. Taking "The Bull" by the horns, Bank of America acquired Merrill Lynch -- which reported more than $19 billion in losses in 2007 and 2008 -- for some $50 billion in stock in 2009.