Sallie Krawcheck is accustomed to the spotlight, as she has been a leading executive at top consumer banks for years. But something strange and scary is going on at Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), where she apparently has some rivals maneuvering against her.

CNBC reports that "a few top executives at the bank are privately trashing Krawcheck and angling to actually oust her." CEO Brian Moynihan has issued a public statement offering support, and FOX Business reports Krawcheck isn't going anywhere. Still, the heatedly rumor mill apparently holds that Keith Banks, a longtime associate of Moynihan from back in their Fleet days, is seen as a potential successor to Krawcheck. He was passed over for the role that Krawcheck eventually won running the wealth management unit. He was instead tapped to run US Trust and Columbia Management; the latter was sold.

Krawcheck's foes may think the time is right for some sort of coup. CNBC notes that Krawcheck was seen as the choice of top regulators, notably Sheila Bair, but now that the bank is not longer bound by TARP, the knives are out. This sort of corporate in-fighting does not make Bank of America look good. Politics exists at every bank, but this sort of press leaking is extreme.

Moynihan should do everything in his power to put an end to it, as it is debilitating at the executive level. He needs to get to the bottom of who is behind this sort of leaking and make clear that it is not to be tolerated. He might even consider firing someone. If his friend Banks is truly not a candidate, Moynihan needs to say that now and end the issue. 

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