Kenneth Lewis may remain chief executive of Bank of America longer than expected, according to media reports.

Mr Lewis, whose tumultuous year was capped off by his retirement announcement in September, said he would consider postponing his retirement if the bank’s board of directors needed more time to find his replacement, acording to the Wall Street Journal. Bloomberg carried a similar item on its website about the timing of the search for a new CEO.

Mr Lewis, who has been embroiled in controversy stemming from BoA’s acquisition of Merrill Lynch, is set to retire at the end of the year. His offer to stay on underscores the problems BoA has had in finding a new chief executive.

The issue of who takes over the job is drawing political, as well as banking interest as BoA, like a number of its peers, received billions of dollars in taxpayers' money as part of the bank bailouts.

According to the WSJ's sources, the bank’s board of directors has completed interviewing candidates for the job and has begun discussions on a final choice.

Top candidates for the job reportedly include Brian Moynihan, the bank’s head of consumer and small business banking; Gregory Curl, BoA’s chief risk officer and at least two executives from outside the firm.