Under New Ownership: Bank Of America

CEO Of The Nation's Largest Bank Talks About The Treasury Department's Plans For Buying Into Financial Firms

(CBS) 
"But why isn’t it Socialism, if the government starts owning our banks?" Stahl asked.

"That will not last forever; we will pay off the preferred stock at some point, and come back to not being owned partially by the government."

"Can you give us what your sense of how long it’s going to take?"

"Yeah, I think somewhere between 3 and 5 years, we’ll pay it off," he said. "And then you go back to, more toward Capitalism."

"It's said that one of the main reasons the [Bank of America] is doing well is because of your decision not to get into sub prime mortgages," Stahl said.

"In 2001, my first year as CEO, we decided that we just didn't like the business. It was too risky. And so we decided to get out of it."

He makes it sound like a routine decision, but getting out of most of the financial products that brought Wall Street crashing down was significant. And now Lewis runs one of the country’s healthiest banks, which just keeps growing.

"We saw the strongest growth in deposits in the 3rd quarter we’d ever seen in our history," he said.

He told us that during this crisis, people are taking their money out of other banks and putting it in his.

"We bank every other American family, you know, in America," Lewis said, with Bank of America doing business with half of all families in the U.S. covering via credit cards, auto loans, deposits and checking accounts.

The way B of A accomplished this was by buying the number one company in virtually every category of banking.

For instance, it bought Countrywide in mortgages, and MBNA in credit cards. Now it’s a nearly $3 trillion dollar conglomerate, the WalMart of banking.

And the biggest bank in America is headquartered not on Wall Street, but 600 miles south, in Charlotte.

"Some people don't even know what state Charlotte's in, whether it's North or South Carolina," Stahl said. "Am I insulting you?"

"No, in fact, I always say 'Charlotte, North Carolina, just so they don't have to ask the question!" Lewis laughed.

Not surprisingly, B of A seems to own Charlotte - and the town grew with the bank.

B of A started out as a relatively small, regional bank.

"Well, we didn't like being small," Hugh McColl (who was the bank’s CEO before Lewis) told Stahl. "I mean, there's nothing really attractive about being small."

McColl set out to expand the bank’s reach from coast to coast and make Charlotte a financial powerhouse.

"I think we have this sort of Southern underdog of wanting to be masters of our own fate, and not be dependent on northern capital," he said.

"When you were growing, and you'd go to New York, did they not treat you well?" Stahl asked. "Did they treat you like, sort of, the country bumpkins?"

"I guess when I was a young man, I always felt a little uncomfortable in New York," McColl said.

"This uncomfortable feeling - that they weren't respecting you - did you have it in your head, 'I'm going to conquer New York'?"

"Well, that would overstate New York; I was more interested in America," McColl replied.

"Did you really think that you could overtake Wall Street?" Stahl asked.

"Well, have you ever played tennis? Once you size up the competition and decide whether you can beat 'em or not, hey - I thought I could."

And they did.

The crowning victory came last month when Wall Street’s most famous investment houses were collapsing under the weight of their toxic portfolios and needed rescuing. They went hat-in-hand … to Charlotte, North Carolina.

"Everybody thought you were going to buy Lehman Brothers," Stahl recounted to Lewis. "Friday night, that was the buzz. Monday morning, it's not Lehman Brothers, it's Merrill Lynch. What happened between Friday night and Monday morning?"

"I had talked to Secretary Paulson that Friday,' Lewis said. "And basically said we didn't think we could do the deal without government assistance."

"With Lehman."

"With Lehman. That we couldn't do it without some help. And then about 10:30, John Thain called."

It was Saturday morning, September 13. John Thain, the CEO of Merrill Lynch, was on the line. Lehman was on its death bed; Merrill Lynch was said to be next.

"You always wanted Merrill Lynch," Stahl said.

"We've always thought that was the best thing for us," Lewis said.

"You were drooling for Merrill Lynch," she said.

"We have always felt it was."

[GODADDYawful]

Pretty funny when 60MINUTES gets ***** SLAPPED.

Wasnt 60minutes doing an as-kissing 30 minute special on how special BofA is??? Do your homework 60Minutes! Your starting to embarrass your predecessors w/ your amateur show.

[emcom1]

Credit default crisis next?
My plan is posted on YouTube. Instead of giving $500 Billion of taxpayer money directly to the banks, it should be filtered through the taxpayers.

The treasury should give 2% loans of up to $10,000 to those earning less than $100,000, to be used only (via balance transfer) as a pay down of existing credit card, auto, student or mortgage debt. This gets the money to the banks that they can re-lend, gives taxpayers up to $200/mo in extra cash (i.e. 24% interest down to 2% on the $10k) stimulating the economy negating the $300 Billion stimulus package being considered, (and better than a one time $600 check) and staving off the credit default crisis. The banks would be motivated to re-lend rather than invest in T-Bills due to the loss of the consumer interest on that money, and the treasure is more likely to recoup its money (with interest) since the taxpayers are paying themselves back. Just a thought...

[robert2237]

PJC27- Oh by the way this Red Neck has a education and makes well over the national average.
But I am bitter clinging to my guns, and buying more along with ammo.

[robert2237]

PJC27- Most people who work that includes us Red Necks as you like to call us, will not get a tax cut. The only ones that will be getting a tax cut will be the ones who haven''t work all their life and have no plan on working ever, that is how Obama is getting them out to vote. Promise them money and they will vote for you.

[robert2237]

linkerone- I see those of you who thinks that a company can not pay a person what they think he is due is just a case of hating those who are more successful than you. I do think that if the tax payers own part of the company then we set the pay or in the case of Freddie and gennie we should have set the pay. Oh I forgot Franks and Dobbs did make sure that the management of those two companies got the big bonuses. That might be because they were getting the most money, well Obama was number 3, from them. And Franks had another reason his boyfriend.

[linkerone]

Kenneth Lewis is my new hero in the war on corporate greed. At 7.4 mil annual salary, Mr. Lewis is ranked 174th in Forbes list of CEO salaries. And although head of the world''s largest bank, his salary ranks far less than CEO''s of much smaller banks and financial institutions. But, more importantly, Lewis decided some time ago to stay out of the sub-prime markets as too risky.. That''s the sort of leadership we should have seen in all the financial institutions, and we wouldn''t be in the shape we now see ourselves..

Also, it seems that what many see as Obama''s policy to transfer some of the wealth from the rich to the poor, I see as nothing more than an overdue penalty for corporate greed. The big corporations which make up the pharmaceutical, insurance, and financial markets have for years been systematically stripping the middle and lower income class of all their income, and few precious assets, including their homes and meager savings.

[linkerone]

And please don''t put everyone on the same economic, and educational level, and just say they should have known better. That''s BS, and we all know how today''s marketing tactics are so persuasive. Just look at some of the current campaigns, like "I want it all, and I want it now". We are manipulated, and then ravaged, and raped by the big corporations.

Quite frankly I can find no reason what-so-ever to even consider voting republican, after the last 8 years of Cheney & Bush. Togeather, they, and the Republican dominated Congress during the first 4 years, did so much damage, that our kids will be paying the bills for years to come..

We need change and we need it now!

[linkerone]

Kenneth Lewis is my new hero in the war on corporate greed. At 7.4 mil annual salary, Mr. Lewis is ranked 174th in Forbes list of CEO salaries. And although head of the world''s largest bank, his salary ranks far less than CEO''s of much smaller banks and financial institutions. But, more importantly, Lewis decided some time ago to stay out of the sub-prime markets as too risky.. That''s the sort of leadership we should have seen in all the financial institutions, and we wouldn''t be in the shape we now see ourselves..

Also, it seems that what many see as Obama''s policy to transfer some of the wealth from the rich to the poor, I see as nothing more than an overdue penalty for corporate greed. The big corporations which make up the pharmaceutical, insurance, and financial markets have for years been systematically stripping the middle and lower income class of all their income, and few precious assets, including their homes and meager savings.

[generey]

Cheney has become invisible. Where is he?


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Posted by ERoosevelt08 at 10:07 PM : Oct 20, 2008


Good point!

[pjc27]

I can''t wait to see if these dumb rednecks refuse to take Obamas tax cuts? Are they SO "PRO" America that they will pay more than their due to Uncle Sam? You betcha NOT.

[pjc27]

Uh, doesn''t that make the GOP kind of SOCIALIST?

[mama-dms]

Anyone who takes on a loan they know they can not afford doesn%u2019t have anyone to blame but themselves. Its very easy for many to blame one but hard for people to look at themselves and see how they contributed. You can drive through areas where people are losing their homes or are very close to it and see gas guzzling SUVs and satellite dishes. Just live within your means. When you go for a mortgage put down 20% and have the good credit score for a low rate. Stop maxing out the credit cards. Maybe you don%u2019t need to eat out 3 times a week. The problem isn%u2019t the government, or the banks - it%u2019s that credit has become the norm and everyone has this sense of %u201Centitlement.%u201D Look at the bankruptcy rate before all this happened. Why do you think they changed the laws to make it harder for people to file? Its because many people were turning to that as a solution and not a last possible resort. All companies are out to make money, honestly what is the point of going into business? If you feel that a mortgage lender tricked you into signing for a loan you didn%u2019t understand, then why sign? Why not question? Most people like to claim ignorance. Its called accountability. You are asking for it from the banks and the government, you should also be asking it from yourself. BTW %u2013 BofA is one of FEW banks that, as a whole, do care about their consumers, their employees and the environment. No one is 100% - but they come *** close.

[harbinger09]

The Welfare system was the end of this country and no one can save it now. Posted by Welshwoman at 12:24 PM : Oct 20, 2008


*** are you talking about? Currently less than 3 million people nation wide receive any type of Welfare assistance. That is less than 1% of the population. As for tax breaks or cuts--only those who work can receive any credits or benefit from a break. So what are you yammering about? The people least willing to take responsibility are the large corporations and financial institutions--that are quick to holler "tough luck" to individuals yet all have their hands out to be bailed out and keep the party going when the losers would be the rich.

As for the loans--only a fool would actually buy the right wing tripe that defaults which make up only 4% of the industry caused Wall Street to implode. There was more going wrong than that. And if bad loans and ARMS were the issue--since these programs have been around since 1998--if people just defaulted due to not being able to afford, they would have done it sooner.

Use your brain. High cost of war and continual borrowing to pay for it= low dollar value. Low dollar= high inflation. High inflation means gas goes from 2K per year to 12K per year. Food goes from 2400.00 per year to about 8900/yr for the same groceries. No bank would have factored in 400% inflation in 8 years when making their loan. Who could have anticipated what Bush''s programs did to the country and the economy.

[cbsblogger]

According to an article published by the Guardian 10% of the US bailout of 700 Billion, (70 BILLION Dollars) will go to the compensation of the incompetent scoundrels on Wall Street that embezzled this money. Google bailout 10% or

http://angrybear.blogspot.com/2008/10/bonuses-are-10-of-bailout.html

But in Germany the government imposed a strict salary cap of $675K on executives which will stay in place until all of the money that the bank owes the government is paid back.

http://www.680news.com/news/business/more.jsp?content=b102006A

What they should do in all the countries, is recoup the excessive compensation paid to executives for the last 5 years for running their banks and our countries into the ground.

[Netterz]

I am way pi$$$$ed over this plan.

BOA has no one to blame but themselves. Are the #1 lender to loan $ to illegals. BOA gave BILLIONS to them, homes, cars, personal loans, credit cards, & no way to collect any of that $ back. That was the final blow for BOA. I hear about the sub-primes being at fault, caused by HARD WORKING AMERICANS WHO WERE SUCKED IN & THEN RAPED BY BANKS WHO DOUBLED & TRIPLED PAYMENTS TILL THEY CAN''T AFFORD IT.

I read about a foreclosed mortgages by BOA to illegals out in AZ, the underground networks tell them when the raids are coming, they up and leave with everything they have, leaving a $900K home loan that will never be paid, cars stolen with no more payments being paid, and the rest of the $ on cards & personal loans is packed up and there gone. They move to another town, start it all over, with a diff name, or head out of the country.

Now, had this been an American Citizen, YOU would be hunted down like dog & have the cops throwing your stuff in the street. They would squeeze the last drop of your blood if need be, to get there $, As an illegal, they get handed not only Gov''t funding & health care, they are given BILLIONS of unsecured cash, they might as well just give every illegal that sneaks in $500K just to go back home, and either a boat or personal plane.

Whats the Gov''t intends to do for the millions who had there personal credit scores DESTROYED by predatory banks ? Credit Amnesty for all American Citizens!

[eroosevelt08]

Cheney has become invisible. Where is he?

[richiejulien]

You really should think before making negative remarks about one of the largest institution in the nation. No one Institution is saint but they are focus on helping each and every customer acheive their dreams (homeownership, retirement etc,...). You need to be better educated as far as Banking, how to manage your account. Why do we like to blame others for our mistakes? It is really sad that as consumers we are not doing our homework before we venture in any type of financial relationship. You would prefer being lied to by people or institutions claiming to offer products and services for free. Wake up this the USA and nothing is free. I think they are one of the only banks that invest in their community and bringing out products that consumers will benefit from. Before I go, let us be realistic no company has ever bought another one and not have to make some changes. I share your pain if you were laid off after an acquisition but what did you expect? You thought they were going to keep everyone and keep going. I truly believe that they are one of the best out there right now.

[punkinpie1]

Not only is Bank of America ripping off their customers but they are supposedly back by the government to act like they do, I say enough is enough. They are a bunch of users.

[punkinpie1]

Blinders, thats what happened when my bank was bought up by Bank Of America. They became cut throats. I hate them.

[punkinpie1]

There is a shaded history with Bank of America. That bank has no conscience at all. They seen to it that I didn''t see a paycheck for almost 2 weeks. It wasn''t enough I had no choice but to pay their loan sharking practices and close my account and switch it to a different bank. I have nothing but contempt for that organization. They operate like that of their CEOs.