While often overlooked in a state that's home to the nation's second- and fourth-largest banks - Charlotte-based Bank of America Corp. and Wachovia Corp. - BB&T has grown from its 1872 founding in rural Wilson into a bank with $109 billion in assets and 1,400 branches in 11 states and Washington, D.C. BB&T is a major employer in the Richmond area.

[John Allison]'s critics argue that he's exaggerating a problem that doesn't exist. BB&T admits it won't lose much business - a fraction of a percent, one of Allison's deputies has said. So far, none of BB&T's competitors has joined Allison's stand, even as efforts are under way in about 40 states and in Congress to outlaw the practice.

Even if BB&T isn't losing any business, the Supreme Court decision gave Allison another opportunity to proselytize about his beliefs. The bank's charitable foundation has made large donations to universities, including a $1 million gift to Duke University, to fund student studies of capitalism.