It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's BankAmerica!!

Lehman left at the altar.

Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Bank of America Corp. agreed to buy Merrill Lynch & Co. for about $44 billion, a person with knowledge of the deal said, after shares of the third-biggest U.S. securities firm fell by more than 35 percent last week and smaller rival Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. neared bankruptcy.

Bank of America and Merrill reached a deal in principle, according to the person, who declined to be identified because the deliberations were private. A final merger agreement hasn't been signed yet, the person said. The boards of Merrill and Bank of America approved the transaction this evening, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.

Lehman Said to Prepare Bankruptcy as Buyers Withdraw (Update1)