Who is Ken Lewis?
Time magazine put Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis on its 2007 list of the world's 100 most influential leaders, but for 2008, the one-year wonder was expunged from the list like a bad loan.
Lewis is back. His influence is undeniable after BofA's (BAC) rescue of Countrywide Financial in January and of Merrill Lynch this week. He should be among the world's Top 10 most influential, says Hugh McColl, 73, the BofA CEO who retired in 2001 to make way for Lewis.
"This is one of the most powerful financial institutions in the world," says McColl, who then pauses to correct himself. "Most powerful in the world would be more accurate."
MORE
