Bank of America today announced it, and certain of its current and former officers and directors, have agreed, subject to court approval, to settle a class action lawsuit brought in 2009 on behalf of investors who purchased or held Bank of America securities at the time the company announced plans to acquire Merrill Lynch. Under terms of the proposed settlement, Bank of America would pay a total of $2.43 billion and institute certain corporate governance policies. Plaintiffs had alleged, among other claims, that Bank of America and certain of its officers made false or misleading statements about the financial health of Bank of America and Merrill Lynch. Bank of America denies the allegations and is entering into this settlement to eliminate the uncertainties, burden and expense of further protracted litigation. “Resolving this litigation removes uncertainty and risk and is in the best interests of our shareholders,” said Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan. “As we work to put these long-standing issues behind us, our primary focus is on the future and serving our customers and clients.” The proposed settlement will be reviewed by Judge Kevin Castel in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, where the class action is pending. Further information concerning the details of the settlement are available from the court’s docket, In Re Bank of America Securities Derivative & Employment Retirement Income Sec. Act (ERISA) Litigation, 09 MDL 2058 (PKC) or from plaintiffs’ lead counsel, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP; Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP; and Barroway Topaz Kessler Meltzer & Check, LLP. The amount to be paid under the proposed settlement will be covered by a combination of Bank of America’s existing litigation reserves and incremental litigation expense to be recorded in the third quarter of 2012. The company estimates total litigation expense will be approximately $1.6 billion for the three months ended September 30, 2012, which includes the incremental costs of the related settlement above previous accruals and other litigation-related items.
