Q 01/05

Which animal appears in the famous Merrill Lynch logo that its bankers fought to keep after a 2009 takeover?

A) Bear

B) Bull

C) Lion

D) Eagle

Answer · why

B) Bull

Bull branding was due to be scrapped by Merrill's new owner in 2009, until its executives lobbied to keep it and won the right to print it on their bu...

Q 02/05

Which firm agreed to buy Merrill Lynch for about $50 billion in stock at the height of the 2008 financial crisis?

A) JPMorgan Chase

B) Wells Fargo

C) Royal Bank of Scotland

D) Bank of America

Answer · why

D) Bank of America

Bank of America struck the deal over a single weekend in September 2008, paying a 70 percent premium to Merrill's last share price; the takeover close...

Q 03/05

On the same weekend in September 2008 that Merrill Lynch sold itself, which rival Wall Street bank went bankrupt?

A) Lehman Brothers

B) Bear Stearns

C) Goldman Sachs

D) Salomon Brothers

Answer · why

A) Lehman Brothers

Lehman Brothers' collapse made rivals fear Merrill Lynch would be next: some banks had considered halting their trading with Merrill if Lehman went un...

Q 04/05

Merrill Lynch co-founder Charles Merrill engineered the 1926 merger that created which American grocery chain?

A) Kroger

B) Albertsons

C) Safeway

D) Winn-Dixie

Answer · why

C) Safeway

Safeway grew to more than 3,500 stores by 1931 with Merrill Lynch financing its takeovers of other chains, and Charles Merrill stayed on as its larges...

Q 05/05

Merrill Lynch was the first customer for the market-data terminal created by which New York City mayor?

A) Rudolph Giuliani

B) Michael Bloomberg

C) Bill de Blasio

D) Fiorello La Guardia

Answer · why

B) Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg sold Merrill Lynch 20 terminals and a 30 percent stake in his young company for $30 million; in 2008 Merrill sold its last 20 percen...