In Brief: B of A Unit Approves Share Sale to Parent

Shareholders of Bank of America Corp.'s merchant processing subsidiary, BA Merchant Services Inc., formally approved the sale of all publicly owned shares to the parent bank Wednesday.

As a wholly owned subsidiary, BA Merchant Services has ceased trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Bank of America's first bid for BA Merchant Services, which processes credit and debit card transactions for merchants, was rejected late last year as too low. The processor's board gave its approval in December after the Charlotte, N.C.-based holding company upped its offer for 16.3 million class A shares by $5 a share, to $20.50.

"We're now in a better position to provide Bank of America's full range of products and services to merchants from coast to coast," said Sharif Bayyari, president and chief executive officer of BA Merchant Services.

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