Bank of America's charm offensive

Under past bosses Ken Lewis and Hugh McColl, Bank of America Corp. wasn't specially noted for apologies, explanations or accomodations to its critics. New ceo Brian Moynihan, by contrast, has eased consumer fees, and voiced support (or at least non-opposition) to Obama's consumer financial agency, among other reforms, reports its hometown Charlotte Observer here, citing veteran bank analyst Tom Brown, among others.

BofA's "friendlier" approach may be connected to BofA's dependence on federal government aid. Citigroup, with similar issues, is also less critical of Obama's program to tighten banking rules. By contrast, less-bailout-dependent rivals like JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. have been more willing to publicly oppose new constraints.