Merrill Lynch's private-banking subsidiary to broaden footprint in Boston. San Francisco-based private bank First Republic has opened a second office in Boston in its first expansion since Bank of America agreed to acquire its corporate parent Merrill Lynch in September 2008.

First Signature

"First Republic's focus on creating value by managing clients' total financial needs is the reason we continue to grow in Boston,' says the bank's president and COO Katherine August-DeWilde.

First Republic initially came to Boston soon after it gained a toehold in the U.S. Northeast by acquiring First Signature Bank & Trust, formerly a subsidiary of Boston-based John Hancock Financial Services, in 2006.

Merrill acquired First Republic in 2007.

First Republic has branches in and around San Francisco and in the Pacific Northwest, southern California, Nevada, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. -FWR

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