Houston Business Journal: “Bank of America Corp. now ranks as the largest U.S. bank ranked by assets, according to a study by SNL Financial. Charlotte, N.C.-based BofA had total assets of almost $2.5 trillion as of Dec. 31. Prior to its recent acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., BofA would have been ranked third at the end of 2008. The gargantuan financial services mergers that grabbed headlines last year have shaken up the Big 5 rankings, with JPMorgan Chase & Co. of New York — which acquired Washington Mutual Inc. — now second on the list with $2.17 trillion in assets.”