Banks, investment firms, insurance companies are integral to the operation of every industry we cover. They are the nervous and circulatory systems of the corporate world. In a world where everything - even a human life - can be assigned a monetary value; where limitless money and great risk intersect, lies opportunity for greed, corruption, and fraud.
The Federal National Mortgage Association (AKA Fannie Mae) is a public company operating under federal charter and is the US's primary source for mortgage funding, financing one of every five home loans. Fannie Mae buys mortgages from lenders and resells them, transferring risk from lenders and allowing them to offer mortgages to those who may not otherwise qualify. The company was hit hard by the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007 and had to be rescued by the Federal Reserve.
The Atlas Group established Atlas Investment Bank in 1990 as a joint venture between Atlas Group and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Japan. With an associated company, Atlas Lease Limited formed in 1989 as a joint venture between the Atlas Group, the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Japan and the National Investment Trust, Pakistan was merged into the Bank in February, 2002. After the merger, the shares of the joint venture partners were taken over by the Group. The head office of the Bank is situated in Karachi with branch offices in Lahore, Islamabad and Faisalabad.
AlBaraka Islamic Bank (AIB) is a leading of Islamic bank in Pakistan and has operated in the country as branches of AlBaraka Islamic Bank Bahrain since 1991. It is a leading provider of banking in compliance with Shari’ah principles and has 18 branches in 10 major cities of Pakistan. All if it's banking activities are regulated by a Board of Shariah Advisors based at the Head Office in Bahrain and a Shariah Advisor based in Pakistan, to ensure compliance with the standards of Islamic Banking principles.
ABN AMRO is an international bank with European roots. Focus is on consumer and commercial clients in local markets and global markets on selected multinational corporations and financial institutions, as well as private clients. ABN amro is active in four principal customer segments: Personal Banking, Private Banking, Business and Commercial and Corporate and Institutional.
This company primarily acts as a holding company for subsidary companies such as Banco Itaú Holding Financeira and Duratex.
One of the largest private economic conglomerates in Brazil, the Votorantim Group has large positions in cement and concrete, mining and metals (aluminum, zinc, nickel and steel), as well as paper and pulp production. Described by the Wall Street Journal as "a tropical style General Electric," Votorantim also produces concentrated orange juice and specialty chemicals, and is involved in a number of electric generation projects (often to service its own industrial operations). Its financial arm is Banco Votorantim.
Julius Baer Group is a Swiss banking firm which is the parent company of Bank Julius Bär, a traditional private bank based in Zurich, Switzerland, which dates back to the year 1890 when it was founded by the famous banker Julius Bär. The Julius Baer Group manages substantial assets for private and institutional clients from all over the world.
Accenture Ltd. is the largest consulting firm in the world, incorporated in Bermuda with its main U.S. office in Chicago, Illinois. It has made the outsourcing of jobs into big business.
The company was established as the consulting wing of Arthur Andersen, Andersen Consulting, splitting off in 2000, when it changed its name to Accenture.
American Express (NYSE: AXP), sometimes known as "AmEx" or "Amex", is a diversified global financial services company, headquartered in New York City. The company is best known for its credit card, charge card and traveler's cheque businesses.
Prudential Financial, Inc. is a financial services company. As of February, 2008, the Company had approximately $784 billion of assets under management. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, the Company offers an array of financial products and services, including life insurance, mutual funds, annuities, pension and retirement-related services and administration, asset management, banking and trust services, real estate brokerage and relocation services, and, through a joint venture, retail securities brokerage services.
