Robert Kelly, chairman and chief executive of Bank of New York Mellon Corp., is in talks to become CEO of Bank of America Corp., a job he said last month he didn’t want, a person familiar with the matter said.
No decision has been made on Kelly’s appointment, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the talks are still taking place. Kelly told New York-based BNY Mellon’s operating committee on Nov. 5, “I want to be clear: I am not interested.”
Bank of America this week repaid a $45 billion taxpayer bailout, freeing the Charlotte, N.C.-based firm from pay curbs imposed by the federal government on companies that required “exceptional assistance.” The limits discouraged candidates, and the bank went back to some of them after repaying the money, a person close to the bank said.
Bank of America spokesman Scott Silvestri declined to comment on Kelly, 55, and said results of the CEO search will be announced in the “near future.” Jeep Bryant, a spokesman for Bank of New York Mellon, declined to comment. Bloomberg News
