Treasury declines comment on BofA aid report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Treasury spokeswoman declined to comment on a report late on Wednesday that Bank of America was close to getting billions of more dollars in U.S. government aid to help it digest its acquisition of Merrill Lynch.

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed people familiar with the situation, said Bank of America told the Treasury that it might not be able to complete its purchase of the ailing firm because of Merrill's larger-than-expected fourth-quarter losses.

The terms were still being finalized, and details were expected to be announced with Bank of America's fourth-quarter earnings, due out on January 20, the Journal said on its website (www.wsj.com).

(Reporting by David Lawder)