Shital Desai

Wachovia Corp. provided commercial and retail banking services. It offered personal finance and wealth management services. The company was founded on June 16, 1879 and was headquartered in Charlotte, NC.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Banc of America Securities (BAS) is the investment banking subsidiary of Bank of America Corp (NYSE: BAC). The firm provides both the domestic and international equity and investment banking markets, and pursues a strategy pioneered by Citigroup that combines corporate lending with investment banking advice and services. They provide high-yield debt underwriting and leveraged finance, in addition to industry coverage groups such as healthcare, media and telecom, financial institutions, real estate and gaming. BAS also does a significant amount of work for Financial Sponsors, or private equity firms, often financing leveraged transactions. Following the strategy of Goldman Sachs, the firm lacks a standalone mergers and acquisitions department, instead employing mergers and acquisitions senior bankers throughout the industry coverage groups. The firm is registered as a broker/dealer with the SEC, is a member of the NYSE, and the NASD. The use of Banc in the BAS's name is indicative of the fact that the company is not a bank, and their deposits and other holdings are not insured by the FDIC.

Sterling Capital Management LLC (SCM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The firm was founded by George de Garmo in 1970. They were acquired in 2024 by Guardian Capital LLC, which is ultimately owned by Guardian Capital Group Ltd. (TSX: GCG) in Canada. SCM manages customized investment portfolios, provides asset allocation analysis, and offers other investment-related services to affluent individuals and businesses.