Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis heads to Capitol Hill on Thursday, and he’s likely to be grilled by lawmakers about the government’s role in ensuring that the bank complete its controversial merger with Merrill Lynch.

According to emails released Wednesday that pull back the curtain on heated negotiations, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke had suggested to another Fed official that “management is gone,” if BofA managers tried to flee the deal and later on needed further government assistance.
Continue reading BofA CEO Ken Lewis pressured by Fed

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. regulators are talking to Citigroup Inc about its capital levels after stress testing the bank, people familiar with the matter said, while the Wall Street Journal reported that Bank of America Corp may need billions in fresh capital.
Continue reading Citigroup and Bank of America need more capital after stress test

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A surge of troubled loans overshadowed better-than-expected earnings at Bank of America Corp, and the largest U.S. bank said it expects the credit situation to worsen, driving its shares down 24.3 percent.
Continue reading Bank of America shares plunge

Finally, a bit of good news from the forefront.

U.S. stocks rallied, capping the market’s steepest two-week gain since 1938, as investors speculated the Obama administration’s plan to rid banks of toxic assets will spur growth and investor Mark Mobius said a new bull market has begun. Treasuries and the dollar fell.

Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. both soared at least 19 percent as the U.S. Treasury said it will finance as much as $1 trillion in purchases of distressed assets. Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. jumped more than 6.7 percent after oil rose to an almost four-month high. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index extended its rebound from a 12-year closing low on March 9 to 22 percent as all 10 of its main industry groups advanced.