BofA Bailout Warrants May Fetch Record $1.5 Billion

Bank of America Corp. warrants held by the Troubled Asset Relief Program may be worth a record $1.5 billion, providing U.S. taxpayers about $203 million more than previous Wall Street estimates. Calculations last month from Nomura Securities International Inc. and finance professor Linus Wilson showed the U.S. holdings would drop to 211.3 million warrants, citing TARP rules that cut the stake if banks raise equity. Instead, the total stands at 272.2 million, according to Treasury Department spokesman Andrew Williams and a company filing.