The Bank of America (BoA) fired its general counsel last December, it emerged this week, in the middle of its controversial merger with Merrill Lynch, writes Corporate Counsel.

News of the move, which emerged this week in US press reports, has been met with surprise. BoA spokesperson Robert Stickler said the firing of general counsel Tim Mayopoulos was not related either to performance issues or “to any advice he was giving on the Merrill Lynch merger.