"We have a history of wanting to do things our way," Mr. Stickler said.
Those were the words of a Bank of America Corp. spokesman in May when the company announced that the
integration of Countrywide Financial Corp. would be run by BofA veteran Barbara Desoer and not Countrywide COO David Sambol, as BofA had previously announced.
And the past continues to be prologue in this integration. On Wednesday The Wall Street Journal reported that BofA has replaced Andrew Gissinger, the number three exec at Countrywide, with Craig Buffie, another bank veteran. The story (picked up in this
bizjournals piece) also said that three other Countrywide execs left this week.
Integrating the far larger Merrill Lynch & Co. -- with its valuable wealth management and investment banking franchises, largely unduplicated within BofA -- will presumably be a different exercise. But it will be even more closely followed. -
Kenneth Klee
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