Bank of America Shares Plunged: What You Need to Know

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Bank of America (NYS: BAC) fell more than 22% in early trading and remain down close to 15% after AIG (NYS: AIG) filed a $10 billion lawsuit claiming fraud. Analysts also raised fears that the banker would need to raise cash.

So what: CNBC cited a report from analyst Mike Mayo of CLSA in which he contrasted B of A with Wells Fargo (NYS: WFC) , reiterating earlier concerns the bank wouldn't be able to cover obligations stemming from the mortgage crisis.

Now what: The report and the ensuing freefall felt eerily like 2008, when fear, leverage, and volatility torpedoed Lehman Brothers. To its credit, management didn't wait for failure to act, responding to Mayo's concern by denying that it would need to raise capital. Bank of America "can go to one dollar and it won't need to raise capital," a company spokesperson said on CNBC. Do you agree? Would you buy at these levels? Weigh in using the comments box below.

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At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributorTim Beyersis a member of theMotley Fool Rule Breakersstock-picking team. He didn't own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this article at the time of publication. Check out Tim'sportfolio holdingsandFoolish writings, or connect with him onGoogle+or Twitter, where he goes by@milehighfool. You can also get his insightsdelivered directly to your RSS reader.The Motley Fool owns shares of American International Group, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America, has created a ratio put spread position on Wells Fargo, and has opened a short position on Bank of America. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.

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