The Chicago Research and Trading Group (CRT) was an American options and futures trading firm headquartered in Chicago. Founded in 1977 as Chicago Board Crushers by Joe Ritchie, his brother Mark Ritchie, and Gary Ginter, the firm was a pioneer in computer-driven quantitative trading strategies and became one of the largest options market makers in the world during the 1980s.In 1993, NationsBank (later part of Bank of America) acquired CRT for $225 million in cash.