Ridgemont Equity Partners completed a spinout from Bank of America in 2010, prior to which it was known as BAML Capital Partners. In turn, BAML Capital Partners traced its roots back to 1993 with the formation of Bank of America Capital Investors. From 2009 through 2010, BAML Capital Partners was the private equity and mezzanine investment unit of
Bank of America Merrill Lynch. BAML Capital Partners was formed in 2009 following the merger of
Bank of America and
Merrill Lynch from the combination of each bank's respective private equity units: Bank of America Capital Investors (BACI) and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity (MLGPE). Following the acquisition of
Merrill Lynch by
Bank of America, MLGPE ceased making new investments. Bank of America Capital Investors, a private equity division of Bank of America, has historically made much smaller investments than MLGPE. The two units were integrated in early 2009 with the elimination of much of the MLGPE team.
Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity (MLGPE) was the
private equity investment arm of
Merrill Lynch, prior to its merger with
Bank of America. The MLGPE business was focused on
leveraged buyout and
growth capital investments across a range of industries. MLGPE was among the most active investment banking sponsored
merchant banking programs in the
mid-2000s buyout boom. The firm, which is based in
New York City, was founded in 1996. Since inception, MLGPE has invested more than US$5 billion of capital across more 30 companies. Among the group's most notable investments are some of the largest
leveraged buyout transactions of the last decade, including
The Hertz Corporation,
Hospital Corporation of America,
Debenhams and
Rexel. ==References==