Is Cousins Properties Board Member Jim Hance in Running to Head Bank of America? - CBL

By Citybizlist Staff

ATLANTA -- A big shareholder has urged Bank of America to end an internal search for a successor to CEO Kenneth Lewis and to consider, among others, Citicorp's Edward "Ned" Kelly, Sprint Nextel's Jim Hance and Capital One's Rich Fairbanks.

In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Finger Interests Number One Ltd., a Houston-based group that holds 1 million shares through the Finger family, told institutional shareholders and the BofA board that it believed an "outside CEO candidate is the best option" for shareholders and the company.

Charlotte, N.C.-based BofA has considered two internal candidates -- Brian Moynihan, 49, president of global banking and wealth management; and Greg Curl, 60, chief risk officer. Finger Interests questioned the credentials of both men and said it believed "the board ... cannot justify either candidate based on their professional merits."

As vice chairman and head of strategy and mergers and acquisitions at New York-based Citicorp, Kelly is the second in command there behind CEO Vikram Pandit. The 55-year-old previously was chairman and CEO of Baltimore-based Mercantile Bancshares, and also held senior leadership positions at Carlyle Group, a Washington, D.C.-based private-equity firm, and JP Morgan.

Hance, the chairman of Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint Nextel, is a former BofA veteran. In a career spanning 17 years at BofA, Hance, 64, has served as the CFO and vice chairman. He sits on the boards of Charlotte-based Duke Energy Corp., Morgan Stanley, Atlanta-based Cousins Properties and Rayonier Corp., based in Jacksonville , Fla.

Fairbanks, 58, the chairman and CEO of McLean, Va.-based Capital One since 1994, is considered an innovator in consumer credit and retail banking.

Finger Interests named a total of 18 candidates who it believed could succeed Lewis as CEO at BofA.

SEC filing: http://tinyurl.com/yfw8uxu

Also at Citybizlist, see:

Ex-Mercantile CEO Edward ‘Ned' Kelly Appointed Vice Chairman of Citigroup

For bios of key executives, see:

EDWARD J. KELLY of Citigroup - Executive Profile
Brian T. Moynihan Profile - Forbes.com
Gregory L. Curl Profile - Forbes.com