Richard Rocke

HighMark Capital Management, Inc. (HighMark) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in San Francisco, California. The firm was founded in 1919 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MUFG Union Bank NA, ultimately held by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: MY, TYO: 8306), a Japan-based financial institution. HighMark provides investment advice to pension and profit-sharing plans, pooled investment vehicles, charitable organizations, corporations, state and municipal government entities, corporate employee benefit plans, public agencies, foundations and endowments, Taft-Hartley plans, hospital and religious organizations, and treasury departments.

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.

Part of Woodbridge Co. Ltd. /New/, Vestek Systems, Inc. is a computer software company that operates in the banking industry. The company is based in San Francisco, CA. Vestek Systems was acquired by Primark Corp. on May 24, 1994 for $6.90 million.