BlackRock's Larry Fink Likely Staying Put

The list of candidates for the Citigroup(C) CEO search is getting a whole lot thinner with Merrill Lynch's(MER) appointment of John Thain to its top job.

Thain, the soon-to-be former NYSE Euronext (NYX) chief, had been one of several potential successors to the deposed Citi CEO Charles Prince. Now handicappers may want to scratch BlackRock(BLK) CEO Laurence Fink off the list of candidates, as well, according to David Komansky, Merrill's former CEO.

Komansky, who also is an independent director and chairman of the management development and compensation committee at BlackRock, tells TheStreet.com that he believes Fink -- who was rumored to have been in the running for the Merrill post and is also among those mentioned in the media as a possibility for Citi's top job -- may not have any genuine interest in jumping to another firm.

"I don't think Larry was ever truly motivated to leave BlackRock," Komansky says.

Wednesday's announcement that Thain was taking the Merrill CEO post, ignominiously vacated by Stanley O'Neal, took many Wall Streeters by surprise. The consensus view was that Merrill -- which owns 49% of BlackRock -- was expected to name Fink to the job.

Calls to Fink's office seeking comment were not returned and a call to a Merrill spokeswoman was not immediately returned.

CNBC on Nov. 5 reported Fink had been offered the Merrill gig and had two weeks to decide.