They have been merging and buying other banks / companies for a long time, they really shouldn't be in this position.
International Level: Politics 101 / Political Participation: 5 0.5%
That is exactly why they are in this position. They have been buying up distressed companies (companies which we now know mean full of bad loans). So even if BoA was doing perfectly right with all their loans (doubtful), the loans they absorbed through acquisitions is now killing them and there is little they can do about it because there is no one around to buy all those loans...except for the government.
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 863 86.3%
BofA exec resigns after news of billions in bonuses
Former Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain resigned under pressure from Bank of America yesterday after reports he rushed out billions of dollars in bonuses to Merrill employees while the brokerage was suffering huge losses and just before Bank of America took it over.
Ref. Source 1
BofA needs $34 billion cushion, feds say
The federal government has told Bank of America it needs $33.9 billion in capital to withstand any worsening of the economic downturn, according to an executive at the bank. Such a determination could make the United States the controlling shareholder in the bank. Ref. Source 7
Bank Of America (Hover)