Bank of America is apparently set to become the eighth bank to agree to buy auction rate securities it sold to customers. According to Reuters, Bank of America spokeswoman Shirley Norton, said BofA is "ready and willing to enter into an agreement that follows the same basic terms of previously announced settlements."

They may be jumping the gun by making this statement however. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo scolded Merrill Lynch for assuming it had reached an adequate settlement with his office without first going through the bother of actually reaching an agreement. In response to word of BofA's "settlement" Cuomo's office seems to have scoffed.

"Our investigation into Bank of America is ongoing," a spokesman for Cuomo's office said.

So far Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs Group, JPMorgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, UBS and Wachovia Corp have settled auction rate cases, agreeing to buy back something in the order of $50 billion of the securities. Two Credit Suisse brokers face civil and criminal fraud charges for selling auction rate securities.

Bank of America: Ready to settle on auction rates [Reuters]