Bank of America Corp (BoA: BAC.NYSE) has been in talks with princpal investment funds in Kuwait and Qatar, as it looks to sell some of its US$17 billion stake in China Construction Bank (6019393.SH, 0939.HK), Reuters reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. BoA is likely trying to shore up cash to meet new capital requirements. Analysts believe the bank, the biggest US lender by assets, needs about US$50 billion for the new international standards. The US bank paid US$3 billion for a 9.9% stake in CCB before the Chinese lender’s IPO in 2005, then purchased an extra 11% for US$9.2 billion. It sold part of its stake in May 2009. BoA now has 25.6 million shares in CCB – about 10% of the company’s Hong Kong-listed shares – which it is contractually free to sell beginning August 29.
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