Chris Ricciardi

In 1915 Charles Edward Merrill founded Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER) with Edmund C. Lynch in Baltimore, Maryland. The modern Merrill Lynch was formed in 1940 through mergers with E.A. Pierce & Cassatt and, soon after, Fenner & Beane. In 1973, Merrill Lynch adopted a holding company format, with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. as the parent and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith as the operating subsidiary. Merrill Lynch Asset Management, Inc. (MLAM) was created as an integral business unit in the Merrill Lynch family in 1976. Fund Asset Management, doing business as Mercury Asset Management, was acquired in December 1997. In 2000, MLAM and Mercury were combined under the name Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. MLAM manages the Merrill Lynch family of mutual funds, as and acts as sub-advisor to other mutual funds.

Blank check Company seeking for aquisition from insurance industry and similar business.

Part of Cohen & Co., Inc., Cohen & Company Securities LLC provides securities brokerage services. The company is based in Philadelphia, PA. Chris Ricciardi has been the CEO of the company since 2006.

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. provided wealth management, securities trading and sales, corporate finance and investment banking services. Merrill Lynch was a global trader and underwriter of securities and derivatives across a range of asset classes and serve as a strategic advisor to governments, institutions and individuals worldwide. The company was founded in 1913 and was headquartered in Charlotte, NC.

Cohen & Co. LLC engages in the provision of financial services. It specialzies in asset management, capital markets, loan trading, and investment services. The company was founded in 1999 is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA.

Founded in 2007, Cohen & Co. Capital Markets LLC is a FINRA-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm is also does business as FGC Securities. They are a subsidiary of Institutional Financial Markets, Inc. (NYSE Amex: IFMI), formerly known as Cohen & Co., Inc. The firm specializes in credit-related fixed-income investments. They provide a range of services to institutional investors and corporations. Cohen & Co.'s primary operating segments are Capital Markets and Asset Management. The Capital Markets segment consists of credit-related fixed income sales and trading, as well as new issue placements in corporate and securitized products. The Asset Management segment manages assets through listed and private companies, funds, managed accounts and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). Cohen & Co. manages fixed-income investments across a variety of asset classes including U.S. trust preferred securities, European hybrid capital securities, Asian commercial real estate debt and mortgage- and asset-backed securities. Clearing services are provided through Pershing LLC.