At present, there is no recognized top-level domain (TLD) denoted as .BOFA in the domain name system (DNS) of the Internet. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), a department within ICANN, a nonprofit private American corporation, is responsible for overseeing global IP address allocation, DNS root zone management, media types, and other Internet protocol assignments. According to records from IANA (https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt), .BOFA is not currently listed as a top-level domain.
In the DNS hierarchy, a top-level domain (TLD) is simply the last segment of a domain name, or the part that follows the last dot, such as .com, .org, or .gov. TLDs are either generic (gTLDs), such as .com, .net or .org or country-code (ccTLDs), which are two-letter extensions that correspond to specific countries such as .us for United States, .ca for Canada, and .de for Germany.
Despite .BOFA not being recognized by IANA, it might be considered by some as a brand TLD. A brand TLD is a TLD that is controlled by a brand, organization or individual for purposes of promoting their brand. However, specific information about .BOFA being used as such is unavailable.
ICANN established a New gTLD Program in 2012, which opened the Internet’s naming system to introduce new, custom TLDs. The purpose of this program was to increase competition, innovation and choice in the DNS market. Google, Amazon, and CERN are among some of the organizations that have applied for their own TLDs under this program. Banks of America (BOFA), or any other entities, may theoretically apply for .BOFA in future application rounds given that they fulfill certain strict conditions set by ICANN.
For example, ICANN requires the applicants to demonstrate legitimate claims to the name they are applying for, and there is a thorough evaluation process including objections based on legal rights, string confusion and community objections. The application fee is $185,000, with additional costs potentially arising during the evaluation process.
In conclusion, while .BOFA is not currently recognized as a TLD by IANA, it is theoretically possible either that it could be used unofficially as a brand TLD or that it may be recognized in the future if Banks of America or another entity applies for it and meets the strict conditions set by ICANN.
Sources: IANA – https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt;
ICANN – https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/overview
