The many roles of Moynihan

Brian Moynihan has played a game of musical chairs at Bank of America, moving from job to job as CEO Ken Lewis assigned him to tough tasks. He's been seen as a rising star at the bank ever since he joined in 2004.

A lawyer by training, he's been in finance jobs for most of the past 15 years.

1993 : Moynihan joins a FleetBoston predecessor as deputy counsel, then quickly moves into non-finance jobs and up the ranks.

2004 : Bank of America buys FleetBoston, where Moynihan is by now the head of global wealth and investment management. He takes a similar job for the combined new bank but remains based in Boston. Bank of America shows a vote of confidence in him by basing his unit in Boston, along with hundreds of other bank leaders.

2007 : Lewis makes Moynihan head of the investment bank to lead a restructuring.

Fall 2008: Lewis says that Merrill CEO John Thain will be the head of the investment bank. To compensate Moynihan, Lewis offers him a job running the credit card unit in Delaware, but Moynihan turns down the job and says he's prepared to leave the bank. Several Boston-based board members tell Lewis that they don't want Moynihan to leave.

Dec. 10, 2008: Moynihan stays, after Lewis fires the bank's general counsel and gives Moynihan the job.

Jan. 22, 2009 : Moynihan becomes head of the combined investment bank after all, after Lewis fires Thain.

Aug. 3, 2009: Lewis shakes up management once again, and Moynihan becomes head of consumer banking. He remains based in Boston.

This story was originally published December 17, 2009 at 12:00 AM with the headline "The many roles of Moynihan."