NEW YORK - THREE Merrill Lynch directors will join the board of Bank of America (BofA) after its acquisition of the brokerage is completed next year, according to a regulatory filing.

Thursday's filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, signed by both Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain and BofA CEO Kenneth Lewis, did not say who the directors would be.

Bank of America announced on Monday that it had agreed to buy New York-based Merrill Lynch.

The decision came out of a weekend of talks between regulators and bank representatives over the state of various troubled US financial institutions that have been ravaged over the past year by the credit crisis.

The management structure of a newly combined Merrill and Bank of America is not yet clear. At a press conference on Monday, Mr Thain said he did not know what his role would be.

Merrill Lynch shares rose US$2.70 (S$3.86), or 14 per cent, to US$22.06 on Thursday, while BofA shares rose US$3.38, or 12.4 per cent, to US$30.58. -- AP