Just when it seemed like Bank of America (BAC 3.35%) had finally cleaned up its legal liabilities, four more seemingly sprung out of nowhere. Add up the potential costs to the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank, and you get somewhere in the neighborhood of $13 billion.
The lion's share of the claims relates, like most of the bank's legal woes, back to the financial crisis. In one, the government is seeking "billions of dollars above" a $2.4 billion charge that Bank of America took for legal reserves in the latest quarter. In another, Ambac Financial Group (AMBC 2.78%) wants a $2.5 billion pound of flesh. And in a third, American International Group (AIG 1.70%) is trying to squeeze $5 billion out of the bank as penance for Countrywide's former misdeeds.
As we've come to find out, moreover, the nature of the claims against Bank of America extends far beyond malfeasance in the mortgage market. Namely, recent reports suggest that it's concluding negotiations with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over allegations that it coerced customers into paying for credit card services that were either worthless or entirely unwanted.
The net result, as Motley Fool contributor John Maxfield discusses in the video below, is that Bank of America still has considerable ground to cover before it has fully and finally atoned for its past indiscretions -- click here for a comprehensive list of the bank's settlements since 2008.
