Bernanke faces congressional skeptics over BofA-Merrill deal

Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, will testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Thursday to face questions over his role was in the Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) purchase of Merrill Lynch.

Bernanke has encouraged Congress and the press to view former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson as the "bad cop" in the negotiations that allegedly "forced" Bank of America to close the transaction.