Newly revealed testimony about federal involvement in the Bank of America acquisition of Merrill Lynch is raising questions about whether bank regulators may have overstepped during a period of extreme stress in the financial system.

Kenneth D. Lewis, the chairman of Bank of America, told investigators that he was pressured by the government to complete the acquisition of Merrill Lynch at the end of last year and to withhold material information about government assistance from shareholders, according to a letter released Thursday by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo of New York.

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