and finally that you might end up not getting merle lynch in any sengs even after paying the fines. > so you were pressured? >> it's hard to find the exact right words to describe what i just described. i found as i tried to have different words it's best just to describe it and let people come to a conclusion. >> yeah. i yield to gentleman ranking member for the rest of my minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. lewis, in our review of the fed's documents, it reveals in contrast to your representations to us today, fed officials concluded that you must have known about the accelerating losses at merrill lynch much earlier. as early as mid-november. when your shareholders could have voted to disapprove. an e-mail sent to assistant chairman bernanke the deterioration has been under way during the entire quarter. all be it picking up significantly around mid-november. the claim that they were surprised by rapid growth of the losses seems somewhat suspect. bac management, contention that the severity of merrill's losses came to light in recent days is problematic and supplies substantia