| OpenSecrets- Bank of America lobbying influence, tactics

OpenSecrets Blog | OpenSecrets: "But while being targeted by the government for consumer and corporate power abuses, Bank of America has spent millions of dollars attempting to woo state and federal officials through professional lobbying efforts and campaign contributions, an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics finds. The company even has two corporate political action committees that target the levels of government differently.

What's more, the banking giant has spent $6.52 million to lobby the federal government -- including the Securities and Exchange Commission, which led the fraud investigation -- on a range of financial issues during 2009 and 2010. This year alone, Bank of America has employed 21 professional lobbyists (most of whom previously worked for the government) who lobbied on nearly 70 specific bills and dozens of other federal government issues, federal lobbying documents show.

A number of topics listed in the documents are standard for financial institutions -- and in many ways, Bank of America is out-lobbied by some of its banking competitors........."