BRUCE BLANCO is a Director & Senior Tax Counsel in the Global Tax Department of Merrill Lynch.  He has worked for over 19 years as a tax advisor in New York to financial services firms and other businesses with multinational operations, the last 9 years with Merrill Lynch.  His work has included planning, research, financial reporting, compliance and due diligence.  He has acquired significant experience in a number of areas, including: foreign tax credit; sourcing of income; allocation and apportionment of deductions; Subpart F and other anti-deferral rules; foreign currency transactions; financial products; hedging; hybrid entities and instruments; cross-border financing; international acquisitions, reorganizations and joint ventures; cross-border withholding taxes; branch taxes; tax treaties and transfer pricing.  Bruce received his A.B. (Government) from the University of Notre Dame, his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law, and his LL.M. (Taxation) from New York University School of Law.  He is also a C.P.A.