The Bear Stearns Companies Inc. is an investment banking, securities and derivatives trading, clearance and brokerage firm serving corporations, governments, institutional and individual investors worldwide. The Company is a holding firm that operates through its subsidiaries, principally Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., Bear Stearns Securities Corp. (BSSC), Bear Stearns International Limited and Bear Stearns Bank plc. BSSC provides professional and correspondent clearing services, in addition to clearing and settling customer transactions and certain proprietary transactions of the Company. The Company is primarily engaged in business as a securities broker/dealer operating in three principal segments: capital markets, global clearing services and wealth management. Certain capital markets products are distributed by the wealth management and global clearing services distribution networks with the related revenues of such intersegment services allocated to the respective segments.