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 events that are happening in New Hampshire this week:

Manchester (Bank of America: Enough!): Tuesday, April 28 from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Bank of America, 1155 Elm Street, Manchester, NH 03101

Exeter (Bank of America: Enough!): Tuesday, April 28 from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Bank of America, 60 Portsmouth Ave, Exeter, NH 03833

Nashua (Bank of America: Enough!): Tuesday, April 28 from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Bank of America, 157 Main Street, Nashua, NH 03060

Hanover (Bank of America: Enough!): Tuesday, April 28 from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM,Bank of America, 63 South Main Street, Hanover, NH 03755

What kind of impact does Bank of America have in New Hampshire? 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 New Hampshire, Bank of America is the second largest bank and number one mortgage lender.

Bank of America is a major small business lender in the state, with more than 3,126 loans to small businesses totaling $53.1 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 New Hampshire taxpayers an additional $303,000 annually for uninsured and underinsured employees who are forced to rely on publicly-funded state health care programs.

Bank of America in New Hampshire by the numbers:

Branches: 37

Deposits (2008)
Deposits: $4.3 billion
Deposit Rank: 2

Mortgages (2007)
Mortgages: 5,439
Mortgage Value: $1.0 billion
Mortgage Rank (2006): 1

Small Business Loans (2007)
Total Small Business Loans: 3,126
Total Small Business Loan Value: $53.1 million

Employees
Branch Workers (est): 310
Healthcare Cost to Taxpayers (est): $303,000

"It's as if these guys got a windfall payoff for betting the family's savings on the wrong horse. A fundamental duty to shareholders has been violated, and we expect immediate action by the Boards of Directors to put a stop to these unmerited executive payouts," said SEIU President and SEIU Master Trust Chair Andy Stern.

In letters addressed to the Boards of Directors of 29 major companies in its investment portfolio, the SEIU Master Trust--a consortium of pension funds with approximately $1.3 billion in assets--demand that the companies' boards overhaul their executive compensation structure so top executives do not reap bonuses and other incentivized pay rewards regardless of the companies' performance. The SEIU Master Trust argues that corporate compensation payments based on false economic metrics may be recovered under U.S. Law, and asks the companies to overhaul executive compensation practices to better align them with corporate performance.

Since 2005, the top five most highly paid executives at the 29 financial services firms received a total of more than $3.5 billion in cash and equity pay, and over $1.5 billion in stock options. The companies include the most well-known names in banking, insurance, and financial services, such as AIG, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase & Co. American Express and Goldman Sachs.

"The recent collapse of the companies' stock prices show that the economic metrics used by the boards in justifying these compensation payments were worthless, and that the companies' stock prices were artificially inflated," said Stephen Abrecht, Executive Director of the SEIU Master Trust.

Click here to review the complete list of the 29 companies in the SEIU Master Trust portfolio receiving letters.

This morning SEIU unveiled online advertising to promote the New York Times' recent support of the early passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. The ads are running on the websites of The Hill, Roll Call, Politico, the Washington Post, and progressive blogs (see the ad on the right).

In late December 2008, the New York Times editorialized about unions and the Obama Administration's commitment to labor. The paper gave a full-throated endorsement of the Employee Free Choice Act and why it is such an important part of an economic recovery program.

The Times wrote of the Employee Free Choice Act:

The measure is vital legislation and should not be postponed. By giving employees a bigger say in compensation issues, unions also help to establish corporate norms, the absence of which has contributed to unjustifiable disparities between executive pay and rank-and-file pay. There is a strong argument that the slack labor market of a recession actually makes unions all the more important.

SEIU's online ads invite viewers to join the campaign for the Employee Free Choice Act.