The Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday it will go to trial against Bank of America Corp. over bonuses at Merrill Lynch, opening the possibility of also bringing charges against bank executives, a week after a judge’s stinging rejection of a $33 million settlement of the case.
The SEC said it will “vigorously pursue” its case against Bank of America, which acquired Merrill in a hastily arranged deal a year ago. The agency had accused the bank, one of the biggest U.S. financial institutions, of failing to disclose to shareholders that it had authorized Merrill to pay up to $5.8 billion in bonuses.
