New details are emerging about the government’s extreme eagerness to ensure that Bank of America didn’t walk away from its deal to buy Merrill Lynch back in December. The Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.) that Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke threatened that if the deal fell through, the government would remove Bank of America’s directors in the event that it needed more bailout funds. The details suggest the control that the federal government has enjoyed over the financial sector since last fall’s bailout. (Wall Street Journal)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=146280