Lunchtime Links: 'Grave and irreparable harm' will come to BofA if Merrill bonus recipients disclosed

Ken Lewis fears unmitigated doom if forced to relinquish the precise details of who got what in Merrill's $3.6bn bonus round. According to KL this is a) because the information would provide a "road map" showing which areas are a strategic imperative for BofA this year, and b) because competitors might feel inclined to target ML's top talent. Whether they would be able to afford it is another matter, however. The Wall Street Journal yesterday reported that Andrea Orcel, Merrill's top investment banker in Europe, received a $33.8m bonus last year. Writing in the Daily Beast William Cohan says Ken should go if he knew anything about this.

What sank Bank of America? (The Economist)

ML executives invested in Madoff (Reuters)

Citi breaks the buck (Financial Times)

Another Goldman veteran bows out (Wall Street Journal)

UniCredit bonuses axed (Financial News)

Winkelreid buffeted (Financial Times)

Macquarie still hiring in the US (Dealbook)

Come, invest in the bailout (Reuters)

Let the quantitative easing begin (Financial Times)

M&A fees down two thirds (Financial News)

Wall Street bankers now working in public pension funds (Wall Street Journal)

Hermes hires from RAB (Financial News)

London is still the best financial centre in the world (Financial Times)

All short the insurers (Times)

Commuter journeys faster before WW2 (Telegraph)