David Darnell has lived a lifetime in the last few months at Bank of America. In early September, CEO Brian Moynihan elevated him to co-chief operating officer in charge of all retail banking. He leapfrogged a few other executives, notably Sallie Krawcheck and Barbara Desoer, and instantly became a contender for the top spot someday, though most gave the nod to the other COO, Thomas Montag. Still, Darnell was handed the keys to the consumer banking empire, and he is finding out just how tricky it can be at the top. The bank's retreat from its controversial debit card fee stands as yet another screw-up at Bank of America. Now this isn't as bad as, say, pushing the bank to purchase Countrywide. But it is much worse than say foreclosing on the wrong house. The rollout and hasty retreat certainly does not look good for an executive who has been on the job just two months. One has to assume that he will accept executive responsibility for the entire fiasco. Indeed, he was quoted in the terse press release. In hindsight, the rollout was botched. The bank perhaps should have opted for the pilot program approach that JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo opted for, which allowed them to escape the controversy with far fewer wounds. That said, one fiasco does not a career make. No one thinks that Moynihan will can him. In fact, there is a huge opportunity here. If Darnell can prove himself a fee magician and find the magical fount that seems so elusive right now, he will ultimately be the hero.   

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