Thousands of jobs are likely to be lost as a result of Bank of America's takeover of Merrill Lynch.
The companies hope to save about seven billion dollars by merging, John Thain, the head of Merrill Lynch told the Bloomberg financial news service Monday. That will probably mean several thousand jobs will be eliminated, though no exact figures are available.
Merrill Lynch recently eliminated 5,000 jobs, but still employs around 60,000 people. After losing billions due to the ongoing financial crisis, the investment bank in September sought a protective merger with Bank of America, one of America's biggest banks.

German exports plunged in November to record the biggest fall in nearly two decades, data released Thursday showed, as the deepening world economic downturn hits Europe's biggest economy.
When the Spirit rover landed on Mars five years ago, no one expected it or its sister rover Opportunity to make it to their first birthdays, let alone their fifth.
The San Antonio Spurs turned up their trademark defense down the stretch to turn back another opponent.
US singer and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, 27, dominated the nominations for the 40th NAACP Image Awards.
After the Taipei Zoo received two giant pandas from China, another Taiwan zoo said Friday it is seeking to receive a pair of pandas from China.