The Wall Street Journal

Bank of America Tightens Oversight of Junior Bankers’ Hours

The bank also eliminated around 150 junior investment banking roles last week

The death of a 35-year-old Bank of America associate who had been working multiple 100-hour weeks prompted an outcry in the banking industry.
The death of a 35-year-old Bank of America associate who had been working multiple 100-hour weeks prompted an outcry in the banking industry. Photo: Thalia Juarez for WSJ

Bank of America says it is stepping up its oversight of young bankers’ workloads, the firm’s latest change since the death of an employee working 100-hour weeks sparked an outcry across Wall Street.

The bank previously relied on midlevel employees on one-year rotations to assign work to its thousands of junior investment bankers. One of their responsibilities was supposed to be ensuring young bankers aren’t overworked. But the midlevel employees weren’t always provided incentive or equipped to enforce limits, according to people who work at the bank.

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