Bank Of America Slaps Merrill (BAC) (BCS)

The CEO of Bank of America said that buying companies in Europe was not near the top of his list of priorities. It does not even appear to be near the top.

After Merrill Lynch put our a research note that said B of A was looking at buying Barclays, the statemet from BAC’s chief is a rebuke to the speculation.

Although the merger might make sense on paper, different labor laws and a gulf between the US and UK cultures would make the deal harder. Or, so days B of A.

Douglas A. McIntyre can be reached at [email protected]. He does not own securities in companies that he writes about.