By Dr. Alfredo Anthony
According to Collins and Rukstad (2008), a small percentage of executives can articulate the company’s strategy in 35 words or less; that was not the case with Bank of America Corporation’s (BAC) former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kenneth Lewis. He was one of several BAC CEOs who understood the importance of living by the virtues of BACs strategic positioning.
Following the financial debacle of 2008, BAC became perhaps the most abhorred company in the financial industry because its wanton acquisitions of Countrywide Financial and Merrill Lynch imperiled a broad base of their constituency–homeowners, consumers, investors, and regulators (Tully, 2011). However, absent the disregard for upholding a high level of social responsibility, BAC’s ability to execute a corporate strategy that would make them one of the largest banks in the world is worthy of examination and awe. Rinzimwangmo and Fengming (2009) stated that during the past several decades the company’s strategy had established a standard worthy of being emulated. In developing this strategy, BAC has displayed the mantra of a company’s strategy serving to surpass its competitor’s performance to generate their desired profits (Thomp.
BAC emerged from the largest financial merger of two banks: NationsBank (a leading East Coast bank) acquiring BankAmerica (a leading West Coast bank). This 1998 merger resulted in combined assets of $570 billion, 4,800 branches in the United States, and had the largest depository in the US market (Martin, 1998). Except for a few insiders in the financial industries, this acquisition was a surprise to many. However, acquisitions such as this one was a part of BAC’s leadership approach for decades, and it fits nicely into their growth strategy, thereby positioning the organization to become one of the biggest banks in the world (Rinzimwangmo and Fengming; Porter, 1996). BAC is the second largest banking institution in the United States, with the most substantial being JP Morgan Chase.
Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, and Strickland III (2013, pg. 4) defined strategy as a company’s “action plan for outperforming its competitors and achieving superior profitability”; BAC’s execution of its strategy perfectly illuminates this definition. The company based its strategy on its Four Cornerstone: having a Strong Balance Sheet; Diversified Earnings, Market Leadership, and Customer Convenience. Every major acquisition has passed this test, which resulted in excellent growth and significant profits (Rinzimwangmo and Fengming, 2009).
BAC’s strategy was further linked into its “Triangular Units” model, which consisted of two groups. One group entailed mortgages, deposits, and credit cards; the other included Small Business Money Market Services, Investment Banking Asset Management, and Corporate Banking. This model allowed executives to determine their strengths and weaknesses — furthermore, the model-guided their acquisition efforts (Rinzimwangmo and Fengming, 2009). When considering the Triangular Units concept, one would ascribe it to their vision because it defined the company’s ambition to drive its long-term path for the future (Thompson et al.).
The aspect of BAC’s overall strategy that synchronized implementation of their actions was the mission statement, which was articulated by Lewis during an investor meeting in 2005. Lewis stated, “Bank of America will be effective by consistent execution of our customer strategy to grow revenue and be the number one financial services provider” (Bank of America, 2005b). This mission became a reality with the acquisitions of MBNA, US Trust and its Asset Under Management, Countrywide Financial, and Merrill Lynch. Each of these acquisitions satisfied gaps identified in their Triangular Units.
Porter (1996) argued that pursuing industry consolidation to enhance operational effectiveness is understood; however, companies executing this strategy to acquire its rivals and eliminate the competition demonstrates a lack of strategic vision. That was not the case with BAC. Bank of America’s strategy included paying less to acquire companies that were distressed while providing solutions to the areas they lacked in their Triangular Units model. By executing their strategy, BAC became one of the most prominent financial institutions in the world.
Although BAC is in the midst of several litigations for its role in the financial crisis, it still maintains a strategy of Managing for Growth (Bank of America, 2013). For example, in 2014 its business banking increased to $1.8B from $1.4B the previous year. The global revenues have increased due to investment fees generated from initial public offerings and mergers. Furthermore, consumer spending increased, brokerage assets rose, and more wealthy clients were turning to BAC for assistance with investment planning. All the while, BAC was reducing overhead costs by closing some branches and reducing personnel in units that produced new mortgages (Hibab, Y., 2014).
Fast-forward to the current environment; BAC continues to live and execute its strategy through divestiture and enhanced customer experience to underserved populations. Over the past seven years, BAC has tailored the business model by divesting over US $74 billion of non-core assets, resulting in an organization that is less complex and more streamlined (Marketline, 2019). Furthermore, the company is improving the delivery of their services to low to moderate income (LMI) markets, enhancing and redesigning branches and customer experience, and actively engaging in community partnerships. For instance, in 2016, BAC opened a branch in Roxbury, Massachusetts, a neighborhood steadily ranked in the top five of the poorest in Boston, and the effort is proving to be successful. The LMI model reflects the communities that they serve and has had a positive impact through job creation, training, community partnerships, and supporting local community development finance institutions (CDFIs). LMIs also have lobby leaders who demonstrate to customers how to use an app on their telephones to conduct transactions rather than waiting in long lines (Avery, 2018).
Although BAC was severely criticized for contributing to the financial crisis of 2008, the current strategy that the organization is implementing not only benefits the upper-income market, it has also extended to bringing value to the low-to-moderate income markets. BAC’s continuous strategy evolution serves as an example of the need to establish and revise business strategies for all businesses, whether a multi-national corporation or small-to-medium sized business.
BAC’s LMI strategy is reminiscent of a moral argument in which Handy (2002) opined “The purpose of a business, in other words, is not to make a profit, full stop. It is to make a profit so that the business can do something more or better. That “something” becomes the real justification for the business. Owners know this. Investors needn’t care (pgs. 6-7).”
References:
Avery, H. (2018). Not Too Big to Care. Euromoney, 49(596), 54–59. Retrieved from
https://www.euromoney.com/article/b1c13wqzbfzclc/impact-banking-bank-of-america-not-too-big-to-care
Bank of America. 2005b. Managing for Growth. New York: Author
Bank of America, 2013. Retrieved from http://corp.bankofamerica.com/documents/10157/67594/Managing_Fast_Growth.pdf
Bank of America Corp SWOT Analysis. (2019). Bank of America Corporation SWOT Analysis, 1–9. Retrieved from http://library.capella.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bah&AN=134448900&site=ehost-live&group=alumni
Porter, M. 1996. What’s a Business For?, Harvard Business Review, 74 (6), 61–78
Hibab, Y., 2014. Bank of America Profits Impresses Wall Street. CNN Money. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/15/investing/bank-of-america-earnings/index.html
Collins, D., and Rukstad, M., 2008. Can You Say What Your Strategy Is?, Harvard Business Review.
Porter, M. 1996. What is Strategy?, Harvard Business Review, 74 (6), 61–78
Rinzimwangmo, Y., and Fengming, S., 2009. Building a Giant – Bank of America. Thunderbird Business Review, 51(6), 583-595.
Thompson, A., Peteraf, Gamble, J., and Strickland III, A. (2013). Crafting and Executing Strategy: Concepts and Readings. McGraw-Hill.
Tully, S. (2011). Can This Man Fix America’s Biggest Bank?, Fortune, 164(2), 136-147.