Thain to testify on Merrill bonuses

John Thain, the former Merrill Lynch & Co chief executive officer, will disclose to New York state lawyers the names of employees who got $3.6 billion in bonuses just before the firm merged with Bank of America Corp.

His attorney, Andrew Levander, said Thain would answer questions posed by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's staff and that New York State Supreme Court Justice Bernard Fried will decide if the information will later become public.

Fried granted a request by Cuomo yesterday to compel the testimony, Levander said.