• Business Week, Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, May 4, 2010 10:48 AM

Bank of America is airing two-minute commercials trumpeting its influence during the different historical eras depicted in the History Channel's "Story of Us" series running through May 31. A segment about the Revolutionary War, writes Burt Helm, contains a two-minute mini-documentary about the Massachusetts Bank (later acquired by BofA) providing capital to early Americans, for example.

After the historical footage, each BofA spot shows how the bank is serving Americans today. "We understand consumers are skeptical and distrustful of banks," says Meredith Verdone, Bank of America's svp of advertising. "We're trying to show that whether it's capital or lending, we enable opportunities, and we always have."

The Los Angeles Times E. Scott Reckard, meanwhile, reports on a new J.D. Power & Associates survey that finds consumers are increasingly willing to switch banks despite all of the hassles involved. Only 34% say that they will "definitely" not switch banks during the next 12 months compared to 46% in 2007. Bank of America, which fares relatively poorly in the survey, says it is shifting to "a customer relationship-centric approach where we will grow the business by meeting customer needs."

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