Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment, financing, insurance, and related services to individuals and institutions worldwide. Its Global Markets and Investment Banking segment offers various global market services, which facilitate client transactions and markets in securities, derivatives, currencies, commodities, and other financial instruments for clients; provides financing, securities clearing, settlement, and custody services; and engages in principal and private equity investing and proprietary trading activities. This segment also provides a range of investment banking services, such as securities origination services for issuer clients, including underwriting and placement of public and private equity, debt, and related securities, as well as lending and other financing activities; and advises clients on strategic issues, valuation, mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings. It primarily serves corporations, financial institutions, institutional investors, and governments. The company’s Global Wealth Management segment offers global private client services primarily delivered by its financial advisors; commission and fee-based investment accounts; and banking, cash management, and credit services, including consumer and small business lending and visa cards. This segment also provides trust and generational planning, retirement services, and insurance products. In addition, it offers global investment management services, which creates and manages hedge funds and other alternative investment products for various clients. This segment serves clients, such as individuals, small- to mid-size businesses, and employee benefit plans. Further, Merrill Lynch & Co. provides research services focusing on fundamental equity research, fixed income and equity-linked research, economics and foreign exchange research, and investment strategy research. The company was founded in 1820 and is headquartered in New York, New York.