One of the most powerful men in finance resides and works in Charlotte, not Manhattan or London. Bank of America has been on quite a ride. From the doom and gloom of earlier this year, to the much-debated Countrywide acquisition, to the recent deal to buy Merrill Lynch. All of a sudden we're talking about a big three in terms of heft: Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase. For Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis, this is the crowning achievement of a career built on acquisitions. This, in many ways, is the bank he has always dreamed of, even as he tells Fortune that the golden age of financial services is over. His bank is no doubt poised to be a dominator. That assumes he can make it all work, which will be no small feat. Integrating the pieces will in itself be a challenge. Strategically, he must succeed where so many CEOs at Citigroup failed. Will the universalist model finally win? We'll find out.

For more:
- here's the Fortune article on Lewis

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