Wall Street has always been an insular culture that most people only vaguely understand. The exception was Merrill Lynch, a firm that revolutionized the stock market by bringing Wall Street to Main Street. Merrill Lynch was not only "bullish on America," it was a big reason why so many average Americans were able to grow wealthy in the stock market. Merrill Lynch was an icon. Its sudden collapse and sale to Bank of America was a shock. How and why did it happen? And what does this story of greed, hubris, and incompetence tell us about the culture of Wall Street that continues to this day even though it came close to destroying the American economy? This is a Shakespearean saga of three flawed masters, E. Stanley O'Neal, John Thain, and Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis, who made a 50 billion commitment over a September weekend to buy a business he really didn't understand.--From publisher description.

Includes bibliographical references and index.