Bank of America Merrill Lynch Names Oscar Brown Managing Director of Energy Investment Banking

Brown to Head Houston Investment Banking Office

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Feb 26, 2010, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America Merrill Lynch today announced that Oscar Brown will join the firm as managing director of energy investment banking and head of the Houston investment banking office. In this role, Brown will be responsible for deepening client relationships and will coordinate closely with global coverage teams to deliver strategic ideas and solutions to clients. He will report jointly to Laurie Coben, managing director and global head of energy and power investment banking, and Scott Van Bergh, managing director and head of Americas energy investment banking.

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Bank of America Merrill Lynch is a global leader in energy investment banking and currently ranked No. 1 in Americas and No. 2 globally with 10.5 percent and 9.4 percent market share, respectively.(1)

"Our consistent leadership position in energy investment banking is a result of the strong talent we have in place and our extensive understanding of the industry," said Coben. "Clients look to us for our ability to advise on and structure complex transactions on their behalf."

"A 20-year veteran in energy banking, Oscar possesses a strong mix of financing and M&A expertise and will be a valuable addition to our firm," said Van Bergh. "This is a particularly active and exciting time for the energy sector. Oscar's broad knowledge of this space will be pivotal in continuing to meet the evolving needs of our clients."

Brown will join Bank of America Merrill Lynch from Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers in Houston where he spent the past ten years most recently as managing director of the company's energy group. He was a member of the firm's Senior Client Council, a group of the top 25 bankers globally that advised senior management on strategy and execution. Prior to that, he was in the industrials and energy group of Credit Suisse First Boston where he focused on mergers, acquisitions and related financings. Brown began his career as an analyst at PNC and Lehman Brothers.

Brown received a bachelor of business administration degree in finance and marketing from the University of Texas in 1991.

(1) Source: Dealogic; Market share based on fee pools

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 59 million consumer and small business relationships with 6,000 retail banking offices, more than 18,000 ATMs and award-winning online banking with nearly 30 million active users. Bank of America is among the world's leading wealth management companies and is a global leader in corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to more than 4 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients in more than 150 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

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SOURCE Bank of America Merrill Lynch