0 Financials Sector

Berkshire Hathaway is a holding company with a wide array of subsidiaries engaged in diverse activities. The firm's core business segment is insurance, run primarily through Geico, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group and Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group. Berkshire has used the excess cash thrown off from these and its other operations over the years to acquire Burlington Northern Santa Fe (railroad), Berkshire Hathaway Energy (utilities and energy distributors), and the firms that make up its manufacturing, service, and retailing operations (which include five of Berkshire's largest noninsurance pretax earnings generators: Precision Castparts, Lubrizol, Clayton Homes, Marmon and IMC/ISCAR). The conglomerate is unique in that it is run on a completely decentralized basis.

Berkshire Hathaway is a holding company with a wide array of subsidiaries engaged in diverse activities. The firm's core business segment is insurance, run primarily through Geico, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group and Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group. Berkshire has used the excess cash thrown off from these and its other operations over the years to acquire Burlington Northern Santa Fe (railroad), Berkshire Hathaway Energy (utilities and energy distributors), and the firms that make up its manufacturing, service, and retailing operations (which include five of Berkshire's largest noninsurance pretax earnings generators: Precision Castparts, Lubrizol, Clayton Homes, Marmon and IMC/ISCAR). The conglomerate is unique in that it is run on a completely decentralized basis.

JPMorgan Chase is one of the largest and most complex financial institutions in the United States, with more than $2.5 trillion in assets. It is organized into four major segments--consumer and community banking, corporate and investment banking, commercial banking, and asset and wealth management. JPMorgan operates, and is subject to regulation, in multiple countries.

Visa is the largest payment processor in the world. In fiscal 2018, it processed $8.2 trillion in purchase transactions. Visa operates in over 200 countries and processes transactions in over 160 currencies. Its systems are capable of processing over 65,000 transactions per second.

Bank of America is one of the largest financial institutions in the United States, with more than $2.3 trillion in assets. It is organized into four major segments: consumer banking, global wealth and investment management, global banking, and global markets. Bank of America's consumer-facing lines of business include its network of branches and deposit-gathering operations, home mortgage lending, vehicle lending, credit and debit cards, and small-business services. The company's Merrill Lynch operations provide brokerage and wealth management services, as does U.S. Trust private bank. Wholesale lines of business include investment banking, corporate and commercial real estate lending, and capital markets operations. Bank of America has operations in several countries.

Mastercard is the second- largest payment processor in the world and processed $4.3 trillion in purchase transactions in 2018. Mastercard operates in over 200 countries and processes transactions in over 150 currencies.

Wells Fargo is one of the largest banks in the United States, with approximately $1.9 trillion in balance sheet assets. The company is split into three segments for reporting purposes: community banking; wholesale banking; and wealth and investment management. The community banking segment serves consumers and small businesses with products including deposit accounts, credit and debit cards, and student, mortgage, and home equity loans. Wholesale banking includes corporate and commercial real estate lending, asset-based lending and trade financing, merchant services, and capital markets businesses. Wealth and investment management includes advisory, brokerage, retirement, and trust services. The bulk of Wells' lending takes place in the U.S.

Citigroup is a global financial services company doing business in more than 100 countries and jurisdictions. Citigroup's operations are organized into two primary segments, the global consumer banking segment, which provides basic branch banking around the world, and the institutional clients group, which provides large customers around the globe with investment banking, cash management, and other products and services.

Established in 1865 in Hong Kong, London-based HSBC is one of the largest banks in the world with 38 million customers worldwide. It operates across 3,800 offices in 66 countries globally. Key regions include Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and North America. The two largest markets for the bank are the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. The bank provides retail and commercial banking, global banking and markets, and wealth management, among other services.

PayPal was spun off from eBay in 2015 and provides electronic payment solutions to merchants and consumers, with a focus on online transactions. The company had 267 million active accounts at the end of 2018, including 22 million merchant accounts. The company also owns Xoom, an international money transfer business, and Venmo, a person-to-person payment platform.