Bank of America (BAC) and other banks are not exactly populist favorites right now. This was evident in the controversy that has cropped up around former Senator Dan Coats. He has announced his intention to once again run in Indiana. Coats' campaign has already been forced to refute criticism of his firm's lobbying activities on behalf of Bank of America; he notes that his firm quit its representation before the bank received $15 billion in federal bailouts. He said he only worked on "a patent issue."

But the Evansville Courier & Press has suggested that the patent in question may be one for a "system for evaluating the risks and rewards of relocating overseas and generates a geographic model based on those factors." The application was quoted: "A typical American employee demands a high salary, good benefits, a good work environment, vacation time, and other job-related perks such as reimbursement for higher education. These job-related perks are expensive and may not be cost-effective for the business entity." We'll see if more politicians are tainted for their association with banks. 

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