Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Bank of America's Lewis to skip pay day

|
|
 
  
Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis (UPI Photo/Kevin Dietsch) 
License photo
Published: Oct. 16, 2009 at 9:15 AM
Advertisement

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Lewis said he would forfeit his salary for 2009 amid new revelations over the purchase of Merrill Lynch.

The deal to buy Merrill Lynch has prompted investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, New York state and Congress, centering on critical information kept from shareholders before they voted to approve the merger last December.

Under pressure, Bank of America said it would waive its client-attorney privilege and reveal its attorneys' advice on the Merrill Lynch deal.

Documents to be handed to investigators are expected to shed light on the advice given to the bank by the legal firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, The New York Times reported Thursday.

Four sources said lawyers advised the bank not to tell shareholders about the depth of Merrill Lynch's losses, the Times said.

Lewis took part in discussions with bank executives, including Chief Financial Officer Joe Price and concluded shareholders did not need to be told of the losses, the Times said.

"I'm taken aback by the advice. When shareholders are asked to vote, they deserve a fine-tuned picture," said Donald Langevoort, a professor at Georgetown Law.

Topics: Kenneth Lewis
Recommended Stories
© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Protesters, police clash at NATO summit Notable deaths of 2012 2012 Billboard Music Awards
The 137th Preakness Stakes Annual Solar eclipse occurs in U.S. Chen Guangcheng arrives in the U.S.
Additional Business News Stories
1 of 29
FORT LAUDERDALE HOSTS FLEET WEEK
View Caption
Crew members of the USS Kearsarge, Bryane Ingram, Timothy Williams, Curtilious Ingram and Yosuf Hill (l to r) prepare for shore leave shortly after docking at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on April 30, 2007. The Kearsarge and her crew will participate in Fleet Week USA as part of the McDonalds Air and Sea Show. (UPI Photo/Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell)
fark
Bizarre legal case involving a mysterious billionaire could force 1 million Quebecois to be married,...
Sorry about the 5 years you spent in prison because I falsely accused you of rape. Wanna be friends...
Woman fined for damaging telemarketer's hearing after blowing whistle into phone. Whatever the fine...
Hottest new game show around: School Food or Prison Food? Warning: may induce nausea and vomiting...
Old and busted: Low-carb junk food. New hotness: Gluten free junk food
A word to the wise: Burning down Home Depot won't save your friend's hardware store