Mary Killian

Franklin Advisers, Inc. is a mutual fund manager and registered investment advisor headquartered in San Mateo, California. The firm was founded in 1985 and is a subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN), a holding company that, together with its various subsidiaries is referred to as Franklin Templeton Investments. Franklin Advisers provides investment advisory and portfolio management services to US and non-US, registered open-end and closed-end funds and unregistered funds, as well as separate accounts.

In 1915 Charles Edward Merrill founded Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER) with Edmund C. Lynch in Baltimore, Maryland. The modern Merrill Lynch was formed in 1940 through mergers with E.A. Pierce & Cassatt and, soon after, Fenner & Beane. In 1973, Merrill Lynch adopted a holding company format, with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. as the parent and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith as the operating subsidiary. Merrill Lynch Asset Management, Inc. (MLAM) was created as an integral business unit in the Merrill Lynch family in 1976. Fund Asset Management, doing business as Mercury Asset Management, was acquired in December 1997. In 2000, MLAM and Mercury were combined under the name Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. MLAM manages the Merrill Lynch family of mutual funds, as and acts as sub-advisor to other mutual funds.