Which investment bank was founded in 1910 by the Salomon brothers?

Salomon Brothers was the investment bank founded in 1910 by brothers Arthur, Herbert, and Percy Salomon. A clerk, Ben Levy, was also involved in the firm’s early formation.

The New York partnership began as a money-brokerage business, arranging loans for securities brokers and trading bonds for institutional clients. It entered underwriting in 1915, participating in an offering of short-term Argentine notes, and gradually developed into a major force in bond trading and fixed-income markets.

Salomon became especially influential on Wall Street during the 1970s and 1980s. It helped pioneer modern mortgage-backed-securities trading and became known for its aggressive sales-and-trading culture. The firm remained a partnership until the early 1980s, when it moved toward public ownership.

A common mix-up is treating Salomon Brothers as a currently independent bank. Travelers Group acquired it in 1997, and its businesses later became associated with Salomon Smith Barney and Citigroup. The Salomon Brothers name was eventually dropped, but its historical role in investment banking remains significant.