BofA Sweetens Bonuses to Make Up for Its Restraint Last Year

Bank of America Corp., tallying its haul from a second banner year for Wall Street securities firms, is shifting its philosophy on bonuses and dramatically sweetening rewards after a bout of restraint a year ago.

Senior executives are planning to increase the bonus pool for investment bankers by more than 40%, according to people briefed on the discussions. And for sales and trading operations, bonuses could rise by an average of more than 30%, one of them said.

That means rewards may climb even faster than some units’ annual revenue growth -- and in some cases, even if revenue ...