Joshua D. Kramer

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Banc of America Securities (BAS) is the investment banking subsidiary of Bank of America Corp (NYSE: BAC). The firm provides both the domestic and international equity and investment banking markets, and pursues a strategy pioneered by Citigroup that combines corporate lending with investment banking advice and services. They provide high-yield debt underwriting and leveraged finance, in addition to industry coverage groups such as healthcare, media and telecom, financial institutions, real estate and gaming. BAS also does a significant amount of work for Financial Sponsors, or private equity firms, often financing leveraged transactions. Following the strategy of Goldman Sachs, the firm lacks a standalone mergers and acquisitions department, instead employing mergers and acquisitions senior bankers throughout the industry coverage groups. The firm is registered as a broker/dealer with the SEC, is a member of the NYSE, and the NASD. The use of Banc in the BAS's name is indicative of the fact that the company is not a bank, and their deposits and other holdings are not insured by the FDIC.

Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA) provides air transportation services. It together with its subsidiaries engages in the business of transporting passengers and cargo. It has a fleet of about 450 aircrafts. It flies to more than 230 cities worldwide from hubs in Amsterdam, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis and Tokyo. Its domestic partners Pinnacle Airlines and Mesaba Airlines provide regional services to destinations under the Northwest Airlink banner. The carrier also has extensive alliances with Continental Airlines and Dutch airline KLM. It has joined SkyTeam, a marketing alliance led by Delta and Air France. Its principal subsidiaries are Northwest Airlines, Inc., MLT Vacations Inc. and Northwest PARS, Inc. It was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Eagan, MN.