Bank of America 'willing to pay what it takes' to hire best talent, CEO says

Bank of America wants to attract and retain the best talent, and the bank is willing to pay extra for it, CEO Brian Moynihan said Thursday.

"We want that kind of talent in our company and we're willing to pay what it takes to get it," Moynihan told CNBC's Jim Cramer in a "Mad Money" interview.

Moynihan's comments came after Bank of America announced Tuesday that it would hike its minimum wage to $25 per hour by 2025. The move also puts pressure on U.S. vendors working with Bank of America to pay their employees at least $15 per hour.

"We're pushing the wages up because, frankly, we want our teammates to have a career mindset when they join us and then stay with us," the executive said.

Moynihan also said the bank — the second-biggest by assets in the U.S. — is seeing positive reception among staff since it began considering raising wages a decade ago. This is the third consecutive year that the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank announced a plan to increase wages.

Bank of America's minimum wage rose to $20 in March 2020 from $17 in 2019. Meanwhile, employee turnover fell to 7% in 2020 from 11% the year prior, according to information provided to shareholders this past March.

"Turnover is way down, the people are more committed to the company, they do a better job for our teammates," Moynihan said Thursday. "You can't think of a year [in] which those teammates had to do a lot for our customers and clients, which was last year up until now in a pandemic."

Moynihan also told Cramer that the company did not lay off branch workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bank of America shares slid 0.24% on Thursday to close at $41.87. The stock has rallied 38% year to date.