H. Jay Sarles

2004-2009

H. Jay Sarles is Vice Chairman of Bank of America Corporation and a special adviser to the CEO. Previously, he was Vice Chairman and Chief Administrative Officer of FleetBoston Financial. As Chief Administrative Officer, Mr. Sarles oversaw all of the administrative functions of the company, including treasury, risk management, corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, technology and operations, and human resources. He was also the senior executive in charge of Fleet's New York-based operations, overseeing and executing the company's growth strategy for Metro New York. During his 34 years with Fleet, Mr. Sarles was a driving force behind Fleet's growth from a Rhode Island-based bank with $971 million in assets, to a financial services company with bank assets of $190 billion and assets under management of $150 billion. Mr. Sarles oversaw all of Fleet's acquisitions and mergers over the past 15 years. In addition, Mr. Sarles had been responsible for refining and executing the company's strategic direction through the sale of assets, downsizing, or growth through investment. Mr. Sarles had also overseen virtually all of Fleet's businesses at one time or another, including, most recently, the company's wholesale banking businesses. These included commercial finance (Fleet was the leading bank owned asset-based lender in the U.S.); real estate finance, capital markets, global services, industry banking, middle market and large corporate lending, small business services, and investment banking. In previous years, Mr. Sarles was responsible for Fleet Mortgage Company, Fleet Credit Card Services, and other financial services subsidiaries.

Mr. Sarles serves as a director of VISA International and U.S.A. He is a member of the Board of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and is a member of the Board of the Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City. In addition, he co-chairs the Mayor's Committee on Affordable Housing in Boston. Mr. Sarles received his B.A. degree from Amherst College.