By Manya Saini
(Reuters) -Bank of America’s top executives will take center stage at Wednesday’s investor day in Boston, with analysts expecting them to outline plans to boost performance and narrow the gap to rival JPMorgan Chase.
Investors in Bank of America will also look for signals on succession plans, as longtime CEO Brian Moynihan completes nearly 16 years at the helm of the second-largest U.S. lender.
For the banking sector, the investor day comes as a U.S. government shutdown entered its fifth week, slowing the release of economic data used to gauge the health of the economy.
Investors are also watching for signs of weaker consumer sentiment, credit market stress and a softer labor market.
Here is an overview of the bank’s top brass and the businesses they oversee:
BRIAN MOYNIHAN, CHAIRMAN AND CEO
Moynihan took the helm in January 2010, steering it through the fallout from the global financial crisis. At the time, the bank had reported two quarterly losses within the year. In the most recent quarterly earnings, BofA posted a profit of $8.5 billion on revenue of $28.1 billion.
One of the most influential voices on Wall Street, Moynihan was named the chair of BofA’s board in October 2014.
Analysts have said it is difficult to predict who might succeed Moynihan, amid a three-way race between the bank’s two co-presidents and its finance chief.
Moynihan has stated his commitment to lead the company through the end of the decade.
Before becoming CEO, he had stints in all of its biggest businesses, gaining a broad understanding of its operations.
ALASTAIR BORTHWICK, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CFO
Borthwick became Bank of America’s finance chief in 2021. He was previously president of global commercial banking and co-head of global capital markets.
He joined the lender in 2005 and before that spent 12 years at Wall Street rival Goldman Sachs.
Analysts have previously floated Borthwick as a potential successor to Moynihan.
DEAN ATHANASIA, CO-PRESIDENT
BofA named Dean Athanasia and Jim DeMare as co-presidents in September in a sign that the bank is preparing potential successors for Moynihan.
“In their new roles as co-presidents, Dean and Jim will work with me to drive broad-ranging, strategic efforts that are central to our long-term performance,” Moynihan said in a letter shared with the employees at the time.
Before his promotion, Athanasia oversaw major businesses including consumer, preferred banking, business banking and global commercial banking.
JIM DEMARE, CO-PRESIDENT
DeMare had most recently led the bank’s global markets division, which posted third-quarter profit of $1.6 billion, its 14th straight quarter of year-over-year growth.
Athanasia and DeMare jointly oversee all lines of business across the company’s four segments: consumer, wealth management, global banking and global markets.
DeMare spent much of his career in fixed income. He had previously worked at Salomon Brothers, the legendary bond shop featured in Michael Lewis’ 1989 classic book, “Liar’s Poker”.
HOLLY O’NEILL, PRESIDENT, CONSUMER, RETAIL AND PREFERRED
Holly O’Neill joined BofA in 1996 and now leads retail and preferred banking.
Bank of America’s consumer banking unit posted a third-quarter profit of $3.4 billion, a 28% increase from a year ago. It accounted for about 40% of BofA’s overall profit.
O’Neill oversees 69 million clients through BofA’s roughly 3,600 financial centers and 15,000 ATMs and other client sites.
The lender has been expanding its branch network and enhancing digital services to strengthen the consumer experience across both physical and online channels.
LINDSAY HANS, PRESIDENT, MERRILL WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Lindsay Hans is president and co-head of Merrill Wealth Management alongside co-head Eric Schimpf. She oversees more than 25,000 employees who provide investment and wealth management services to individuals and businesses in the U.S.
They also lead the bank’s investment solutions group, which includes the chief investment office.
BofA’s global wealth and investment management business posted third-quarter profit of $1.3 billion. It accounted for roughly 15% of the lender’s overall quarterly profit.
ERIC SCHIMPF, PRESIDENT, MERRILL WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Schimpf began his career in Merrill Wealth Management as a financial advisor in 1994 and was previously an executive for its Pacific Coast division, co-head of its enterprise advisor development program and an executive in the Southeast.
MATTHEW KODER, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL CORPORATE & INVESTMENT BANKING
Koder is the president of global corporate and investment bank. BofA’s global banking business posted profit of $2.1 billion in the third quarter, with total investment banking fees surging 43%. It ranked third in the investment banking league tables, according to analytics firm Dealogic.
Koder joined BofA in 2011 as the head of Asia Pacific global corporate and investment banking.
He previously spent eight years at UBS in Hong Kong and London and also served as a member of the Swiss lender’s global management committee.
BofA’s stock performance vs rivals and broader markets since 2010:
Breakup of BofA’s most recent quarterly results:
(Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Lananh Nguyen and Arun Koyyur)
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