This week saw exciting progress in the fight for fairness with Bank of America. All across New Hampshire, Change that Works volunteers and New Hampshire citizens gathered to let Bank of America know that we are tired of their corporate excesses. Outside Bank of America locations in Manchester, Exeter, Hanover, and Nashua, protesters clamored loudly for a change--and the board of directors listened.

Said Judy Ullman of Portsmouth, to Seacoastonline.com, the responsibility is now on everyone to act as "good citizens": "It's not okay to simply do what you want anymore...Economic security will not happen if banks don't change the way they operate."

Thanks to the efforts of volunteers in New Hampshire, and taxpayers all across the country, thousands of "taxpayer proxy" cards were signed calling for a change in Bank of America. This week, your voices were heard. Even though Ken Lewis is still CEO, he is no longer Chairman of Bank of America. Now it is time to keep up the pressure on big business, and the new Chairman of Bank of America. No matter how daunting the task, change can happen. A little at a time, we are being heard.

See more pictures from the protest :here

Momentum is building for real reform to take place at Bank of America.

Today thousands of taxpayers will tell Bank of America it's time for reform - and for CEO Ken Lewis to be fired - by gathering at "Take Back the Economy" events around the country. The purpose of these events is to show Bank of America it's time for reform - you can collect "taxpayer proxy cards" that we'll deliver to Bank of America's annual meeting on Wednesday.

What kind of impact does Bank of America have in Florida? Here are the facts:

Bank of America is the largest bank in the United States, with an estimated $2.3 trillion in assets and counts almost 1 in 2 households as customers. Bank of America is also the country's second largest issuer of credit cards. In Florida, Bank of America is the second largest bank and largest mortgage lender.

Bank of America is one of the largest small business lenders in the state, with more than 87,629 loans to small businesses totaling $1.4 billion.

Bank of America has put taxpayers on the hook for as much as $200 billion in bailout money, making it one of the top two recipients. And, it's estimated that Bank of America costs Florida taxpayers an additional $5.4 million annually for uninsured and underinsured employees who are forced to rely on publicly-funded state health care programs.

Bank of America in Florida by the numbers:

Branches: 656

Deposits (2008)
Deposits: $69.4 billion
Deposit Rank: 2

Mortgages (2007)
Mortgages: 122,149
Mortgage Value: $26.1 billion
Mortgage Rank (2006): 1

Small Business Loans (2007)
Total Small Business Loans: 87,629
Total Small Business Loan Value: $1.4 billion

Employees
Branch Workers (est): 5,520
Healthcare Cost to Taxpayers (est): $5.4 million

Momentum is building for real reform to take place at Bank of America.

Today thousands of taxpayers will tell Bank of America it's time for reform - and for CEO Ken Lewis to be fired - by gathering at "Take Back the Economy" events around the country. The purpose of these events is to show Bank of America it's time for reform - you can collect "taxpayer proxy cards" that we'll deliver to Bank of America's annual meeting on Wednesday.

What kind of impact does Bank of America have in Iowa? Here are the facts:
Bank of America is the largest bank in the United States, with an estimated $2.3 trillion in assets and counts almost 1 in 2 households as customers. Bank of America is also the country's second largest issuer of credit cards. In Iowa, Bank of America is the fourth largest bank and second largest mortgage lender.

Bank of America is a major small business lender in the state, with more than 3,074 loans to small businesses totaling $41.0 million.

Bank of America has put taxpayers on the hook for as much as $200 billion in bailout money, making it one of the top two recipients. And, it's estimated that Bank of America costs Iowa taxpayers an additional $123,000 annually for uninsured and underinsured employees who are forced to rely on publicly-funded state health care programs.

Bank of America in Iowa by the numbers:

Branches: 15

Deposits (2008)
Deposits: $1.5 billion
Deposit Rank: 4

Mortgages (2007)
Mortgages: 8,071
Mortgage Value: $851 million
Mortgage Rank (2006): 2

Small Business Loans (2007)
Total Small Business Loans: 3,074
Total Small Business Loan Value: $41.0 million

Employees
Branch Workers (est): 130
Healthcare Cost to Taxpayers (est): $123,000

Momentum is building for real reform to take place at Bank of America.

Today thousands of taxpayers will tell Bank of America it's time for reform - and for CEO Ken Lewis to be fired - by gathering at "Take Back the Economy" events around the country. The purpose of these events is to show Bank of America it's time for reform - you can collect "taxpayer proxy cards" that we'll deliver to Bank of America's annual meeting on Wednesday.

Here are the events happening in Montana this week:
Missoula (Bank of America: Enough!): May 1 from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Merrill Lynch, 330 N Higgins Ave., Missoula, MT 59802

What kind of impact does Bank of America have in Montana? Here are the facts:
Bank of America is the largest bank in the United States, with an estimated $2.3 trillion in assets and counts almost 1 in 2 households as customers. Bank of America is also the country's second largest issuer of credit cards. In Montana, Bank of America is the state's largest mortgage lender.

Bank of America is a major small business lender in the state, with more than 1,502 loans to small businesses totaling $19.6 million.

Bank of America has put taxpayers on the hook for as much as $200 billion in bailout money, making it one of the top two recipients.

Bank of America in Montana by the numbers:

Mortgages (2007)
Mortgages: 4,591
Mortgage Value: $835.1 million
Mortgage Rank (2006): 1

Small Business Loans (2007)
Total Small Business Loans: 1,502
Total Small Business Loan Value: $19.6 million

Momentum is building for real reform to take place at Bank of America.

Today thousands of taxpayers will tell Bank of America it's time for reform - and for CEO Ken Lewis to be fired - by gathering at "Take Back the Economy" events around the country. The purpose of these events is to show Bank of America it's time for reform - you can collect "taxpayer proxy cards" that we'll deliver to Bank of America's annual meeting on Wednesday.

What kind of impact does Bank of America have in Maine? Here are the facts:
Bank of America is the largest bank in the United States, with an estimated $2.3 trillion in assets and counts almost 1 in 2 households as customers. Bank of America is also the country's second largest issuer of credit cards. In Maine, Bank of America is the third largest bank and number one mortgage lender.

Bank of America is a major small business lender in the state, with more than 2,572 loans to small businesses totaling $42.3 million.

Bank of America has put taxpayers on the hook for as much as $200 billion in bailout money, making it one of the top two recipients. And, it's estimated that Bank of America costs Maine taxpayers an additional $327,000 annually for uninsured and underinsured employees who are forced to rely on publicly-funded state health care programs.

Bank of America in Maine by the numbers:

Branches: 40

Deposits (2008)
Deposits: $1.8 billion
Deposit Rank: 3

Mortgages (2007)
Mortgages: 5,153
Mortgage Value: $853.7 million
Mortgage Rank (2006): 1

Small Business Loans (2007)
Total Small Business Loans: 2,572
Total Small Business Loan Value: $42.3 million

Employees
Branch Workers (est): 340
Healthcare Cost to Taxpayers (est): $327,000

Today, April 28, is Equal Pay Day, marking the point in 2009 when the average woman's wages finally catch up with what the average man earned in 2008. If you need to pause for a minute to consider what I'm saying here, you're probably not alone...in 2009, women have to work an extra four months (Jan - April) to match men's earnings. This is because women working full time, year-round are paid only about 78 cents for every dollar earned by men.

President John Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963--over four decades ago--yet the wage gap between men and women is narrowing by less than half a percent per year. The numbers get even more dismal when you break them down further: African-American women make 63 cents and Hispanic women make 52 cents for every dollar that a man receives in wages. These facts are true even when women make the same career choices as men and work the same hours--regardless, they still earn less.

Thankfully, there's hope in the midst of this springtime air. Encouraging strides have been made in the twelve months since Fair Pay Day 2008 in giving women the ability to challenge unequal pay. The recently-enacted Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act marks a critical first step in fighting pay discrimination.

Next up: The Paycheck Fairness Act. This legislation, which has already passed in the House, would build on the success of the Ledbetter bill and deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their wages. Urge Your Senators to Support the Paycheck Fairness Act

There is much work still to be done to ensure that every worker earns a fair day's pay and I could give you at least 50 reasons why women deserve fair pay -- but I'll direct you instead to the National Women's Law Center, who released new state-by-state data on the wage gap. Gender wage disparity will cost women anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million over a lifetime in lost wages. Find out where your state stands.