U.S. Bancorp, a financial services holding company, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, which is the country’s sixth largest bank, according to a company press release announcing the deal. Fortune 500’s annual ranking ranks U.S. Bancorp as the 122nd largest corporation for 2008.
Recent reports indicate that the infusion of federal money will help U.S. Bancorp expand by acquiring additional banks across the country. Warren Buffett is U.S. Bancorp’s top shareholder. U.S. Bancorp grew into what it looks like today through a number of mergers across the country.
MadMoney’s Jim Cramer counts U.S. Bancorp as one of four “financial fortresses” – banks that are solid enough to withstand the financial crisis and are likely to eventually acquire other, less stable banks. In addition to U.S. Bancorp, the other “fortress four” are Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and JP Morgan Chase.