Important Information

We will continue to work with you as we usually do, providing you the advice and guidance of our global resources and the thinking of some of the brightest minds in the industry. As we continue to bring our two companies together, we will keep you informed about when you will have access to the benefits, services and locations of the combined organization.

Bank of America and Merrill Lynch remain dedicated to delivering leading service and advice. We are committed to ensuring a seamless, positive experience for you as we bring the two companies together.

As we continue combining our companies, we will be focused on making thoughtful decisions about the best ways to serve you. We will communicate in a regular and timely manner about the benefits to come from our combined company as well as any changes.

Together, we are stronger and better. And most importantly, we are singularly focused on helping more people and more businesses take advantage of opportunities that come their way.

The strengths inherent to both companies are complementary in many ways. The combination of Merrill Lynch and Bank of America expands our ability to provide you with products and services through our size, scale and strong presence throughout the world.

The new company is a premier provider of global wealth management services. We have a leading wealth management platform, with a greatly enhanced global standing, as well as approximately over 16,000 financial advisors and approximately $1.8 trillion in client assets. We also have a commanding position in the global markets, corporate and investment banking businesses, particularly in the areas of debt underwriting, equities, mergers and acquisitions and payments and liquidity management. The combined institution's geographic and earnings diversity, liquidity and capital strength make us a dynamic competitor in the global marketplace.

We are one of the strongest financial organizations in the world, with a large and liquid capital base. Our greater scale and breadth of offerings make it possible for us to deliver a wider array of leading products and services to address your unique financial needs. We are well positioned to provide clients with market insight, investment guidance and proactive leadership during this period of unprecedented market volatility.

As part of the ongoing integration of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. with Bank of America Corporation, we are committed to keeping you informed about any changes that affect your accounts and services. With this in mind, we want to let you know that we are continuing with our plans to replace Merrill Lynch Bank USA (MLBUSA) and Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust Co., FSB (MLBT-FSB) in certain Merrill Lynch deposit, credit and card programs (specifically including the various Merrill Lynch bank deposit programs listed below). This notice amends the previous notice we sent you in July ^Footnote*. These changes will not affect the operation of these programs. Please see below for more information about the programs including the effect on FDIC coverage. We will provide you with updates in advance of any further changes.

MLBUSA and MLBT-FSB are the two affiliated Merrill Lynch banks that have participated in the following deposit, credit and card programs offered to Merrill Lynch clients:

• Merrill Lynch Bank Deposit Program
• Business Deposit Program
• Retirement Asset Savings Programs
• Retirement Bank Account^TM
• Insured Savings Account^TM (ISA^®) Program
• ML Direct MLBUSA Deposit Program
• Certificates of Deposit (CDs) or Market Participation Deposits (MPDs) that were issued by MLBUSA and MLBT-FSB
• Direct debit and deferred debit Visa^® cards
• Overdraft Advances
• Loan Management Account^® (LMA^® account)

Deposit Programs, CDs and MPDs
On July 1, 2009, MLBUSA merged into Bank of America, N.A. (BANA). All deposits formerly held at MLBUSA were redirected and deposited with FIA Card Services, N.A. (FIA).

On Nov. 2, 2009, MLBT-FSB merged into Bank of America, N.A. (BANA). Immediately before the merger, deposits in the Merrill Lynch Bank Deposit Program, Business Deposit Program, Retirement Bank Account and the Retirement Asset Savings Program held at MLBT-FSB have been redirected and deposited with Bank of America Rhode Island, N.A. (BA-RI).

For clients with deposits in the ISA Program, on July 1, 2009, FIA assumed the position of MLBUSA in the bank priority sequence in all geographic ISA regions.

Immediately before the merger of MLBT-FSB into BANA, BA-RI will assume the position of MLBTFSB in the bank priority sequence in all geographic ISA regions.

FIA and BA-RI are separately chartered, FDIC-insured institutions and subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation, as well as affiliates of Merrill Lynch.

This change does not affect how these deposit programs operate and your deposits will continue to be governed by the terms described in your brokerage account agreement. The structure for setting interest rates for the bank deposit programs will remain unchanged but please note that interest rates may fluctuate, either down or up, based on economic and business conditions. You may access current yield information online at www.mymerrill.com or www.newmlol.ml.com (or www.mldirect.ml.com. Opens a new window, if applicable) or by calling (888) ML RATES (657-2837) or by contacting your Financial Advisor. Also, you will be notified in advance if there are any substantial changes in the operation of these bank deposit programs in the future, including any changes to rate structure.

On July 1, 2009, any CDs and MPDs that were issued by MLBUSA became obligations of BANA. On the date of MLBT-FSB's merger into BANA, any CDs or MPDs issued by MLBT-FSB became obligations of BANA.

Important Information about FDIC Coverage
The FDIC currently insures deposit accounts, including CDs and MPDs, up to $250,000 ^Footnote**per depositor, per bank in a given ownership category. Deposits maintained in different categories of legal ownership—such as individual accounts, joint accounts, or retirement accounts—are separately insured by the FDIC, up to applicable insurance limits. Deposits in one FDIC-insured bank are insured separately from deposits in another FDIC insured bank, up to the applicable limits.

Any CDs or MPDs you held with MLBUSA and hold with MLBT-FSB became, or will become BANA deposits after each bank's respective merger, but will be separately insured from the deposits that you might have with BANA until the later of: i) the expiration of a six-month grace period from the date of the merger, or ii) the earliest maturity date after the end of the six-month grace period. Thereafter, any assumed CDs or MPDs deposits that remain on deposit with BANA will be aggregated with existing deposits with BANA held in the same ownership category for FDIC insurance purposes. Any deposit at BANA made after a bank's merger date will be aggregated with deposits in the same ownership category that you may have with BANA for FDIC insurance purposes.

Your MLBUSA deposits made pursuant to a bank deposit program became deposits with FIA on July 1, 2009. Your MLBT-FSB deposits made pursuant to a bank deposit program will become deposits with BA-RI immediately before the merger of MLBT-FSB into BANA. As a result, any new deposits made at FIA will be aggregated with such deposits in the same ownership category established at FIA for FDIC insurance purposes. Since BA-RI does not hold any other customer deposits at this time, your FDIC insurance coverage will not be affected by the merger of MLBTFSB. Please note that BANA, FIA and BA-RI are three separately chartered FDIC-insured institutions, which means that deposits at BANA are separately insured from deposits at FIA and from deposits at BA-RI.

You are responsible for monitoring the total amount of your deposits to determine the extent of insurance coverage available to you on your deposits, including CDs and MPDs. If you have any questions, or need additional information about how to maximize your deposit insurance coverage, please visit www.FDIC.gov or contact your Financial Advisor or Merrill Lynch representative.

Visa cards, overdraft advances and Loan Management Account
Visa debit and deferred debit cards previously issued by MLBUSA are now issued by BANA and as of the date of MLBT-FSB's merger, Visa debit cards issued by MLBT-FSB will be issued by BANA. Overdraft advances in Merrill Lynch central asset accounts are now provided by BANA. These changes do not otherwise affect the Visa debit and deferred debit cards or the overdraft account feature, and the terms and conditions of their use will remain as described in your account agreement. Please continue to use your cards as you do today. Also, BANA became the lender for LMA account credit facilities on July 1, 2009.

If you have questions regarding any of these changes, please call your Financial Advisor or Merrill Lynch representative.

Customer privacy and protecting customer information is something that both Bank of America and Merrill Lynch take very seriously. Your privacy will continue to be protected as it has been in the past and each entity will continue to honor your stated privacy preferences that you made with such entity. This means that, until further notice, Bank of America privacy policies will continue to apply to Bank of America individual accounts and Bank of America websites and Merrill Lynch privacy policies will continue to apply to Merrill Lynch individual accounts and Merrill Lynch websites. Outside of the U.S., clients' personal information will continue to be protected in accordance with local regulations. Bank of America and Merrill Lynch will send individual customers annual Privacy Policy disclosures in 2009. In the future we expect to combine and streamline our privacy policies where it makes sense to do so, and we will keep you informed as we go through this process.

Please note that since these pages are being hosted by Bank of America, information collected from these pages will be treated in accordance with the Bank of America online privacy policy which is linked to below. To view Merrill Lynch online privacy policies and the Merrill Lynch Global Privacy Pledge, you can navigate back to a Merrill Lynch hosted website or visit www.ml.com and click on the Privacy and Security link at the bottom of the page.

On Sept. 15, 2008, Bank of America announced the acquisition of Merrill Lynch. The acquisition was approved by shareholders and regulatory bodies and closed on Jan. 1, 2009. Over the next year, we will be communicating with you about our new and enhanced capabilities, and we look forward to continuing to provide you with advice and guidance, products and services.

Ken Lewis continues as chief executive officer and president. Tom Montag will continue to run Global Markets and also leads Global Corporate & Investment Banking. And Sallie Krawcheck now leads Global Wealth & Investment Management. Throughout the combined organization, we are continuing to draw on the best talent to lead us to success.

Bank of America and Merrill Lynch bring the combined power of our human and financial capital to transform communities into vibrant, desirable places for people to live, work and raise families. Both Bank of America and Merrill Lynch support programs that are innovative and advance causes that tap exemplary nonprofit partners and include employee volunteers and donations.