Wachovia Corporation · Charlotte, NC United States

More proof that banking has become the wild wild West: Wachovia wed Wells Fargo at the end of 2008 to create North America's most extensive financial services company with some $1.3 trillion in assets and 6,650 branches from coast to coast. The deal integrated Wachovia's network of branches focused in eastern and southern states and gave California-based Wells Fargo a presence along the East Coast. The banking powerhouse now is the fourth-largest in the US reaching customers in some 40 states. The merger also included Wachovia's retail brokerage Wachovia Securities (renamed Wells Fargo Advisors), Wachovia Capital Management (now Wells Fargo Securities), and mutual fund arm Evergreen Investment Management. To read the full description, subscribe now.