Finance

Does Bank of America Need a Bailout?

Bank reacts harshly to critical blog post.

Bank of America’s share price is hovering around $6; could another bailout be around the corner? Henry Blodgett suggested as much in a blog post Tuesday, noting that “the market doesn't believe Bank of America's assets are worth anything close to what Bank of America says they are worth.” Bank of America replied with a statement denouncing Blodgett’s “exaggerated and unwarranted claims”—and noting the fact that the SEC banned him from the securities industry. But J.P. Morgan, while not speculating on the likelihood of future bailouts, seemed to second Blodgett’s assessment, noting in an analysis that “[T]he pressure from the credit and equity markets is at a point that is increasingly hard for management [at Bank of America] to ignore. We think this may actually increase the chances of a credit-positive development, such as a capital raise.” The view on Wall Street, DealBreaker notes, seems to be “the news is so bad it’s good.”