Peter W. Geiger, 74; Financial Advisor to Entertainment Industry

Peter W. Geiger, 74, a veteran financial advisor to the entertainment industry who had a four-decade career with Bank of America, died Sunday in Los Angeles of complications after heart surgery.

Geiger was hired by Bank of America in 1951, when its entertainment lending division was in trouble. Television had begun to keep moviegoers at home, and the bank had foreclosed on 30 films. He helped salvage several loans with the idea of selling the films to television, packaged as “The Million Dollar Movie of the Week.”

He went on to serve as senior account officer to every major Hollywood studio over the years, including Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount, Columbia, MGM, and 20th Century Fox.

After retiring from Bank of America, he launched his own consulting firm, the Geiger Group, in 1990. It provided financing and marketing advice to theater chains and entertainment companies.