Remember the outrage when it was discovered former Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain – how he spent over a $1 million to redecorate his office, as [1]meticulously itemized by CNBC correspondent Charlie Gasparino for The Daily Beast?
Merrill Lynch was acquired by Bank of America (NYSE: [2]BAC) [3]in September 2008 and Thain was [4]eventually let go, and [5]the backlash for his extravagant redecorating ensued.
But, this latest indiscretion has gone unnoticed by the media – a donation in the amount of $2 million to the ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) Housing Corporation of Chicago, according to [6]a document posted on Bank of America corporate philanthropy Web site – which shows the bank had given the total amount in grant money from October 2007 through June 2009.
The document also details several regional grants to ACORN, which is said to be finalized through 2009, but currently included the following:
-
ACORN (
ACORN has been associated with cases of [7]voter fraud, [8]accounting improprieties and has lobbied for [9]obligatory housing assistance from the federal government for home borrowers that got in over their heads with recent mortgage woes.
The media have not only been eager to attack banks like Bank of America for their corporate expenditures and compensation, they have found other ways to go after these institutions. As ABC investigative correspondent Brian Ross pointed out – with his usual knack for finding lavish spending by corporate entities – [10]Bank of America also sponsored a Super Bowl party at a 5-Star Resort in
However, as of Feb. 2, with exception [11]of conservative columnist Michelle Malkin – the at least $2 million in contributions has gone unnoticed by the media.