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BofA Merrill Lynch encourages staff to register for Brexit vote - sources

A Bank of America Merrill Lynch sign is seen on a building that houses its offices in Singapore May 17, 2012. REUTERS/Tim Chong

By Anjuli Davies and Freya Berry

LONDON (Reuters) - Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA) (BAC.N) has emailed its employees to encourage them to register to vote in Britain's referendum on whether to stay in the EU, sources at the bank told Reuters on Thursday.

Banks have grown increasingly jittery as the June 23 vote approaches, with the polls too close to call. Some pollsters and analysts expect a high turnout to favour an "In" vote.

The BofA memo was circulated on June 2, providing staff with logistical information and website links on how and when to vote, three sources said, adding that the email did not attempt to advise employees on which way they should vote.

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The sources noted that they had not received such emails ahead of other votes, such as Britain's general election last year, though one said that the exceptional circumstances surrounding the Brexit referendum required more clarification than usual.

BofA Merrill Lynch declined to comment.

The neutrality of the BofA email contrasts with a similar memo sent by Citi (C.N) on Wednesday, warning staff that a vote to leave would be likely to result in the need to "rebalance" its operations across the EU.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) Chief Executive Jamie Dimon last week said a Brexit could mean fewer UK jobs at the bank.

BofA Merrill Lynch has also decided against donating to the Remain campaign. Citi and JPMorgan have both donated six-figure sums to the Remain campaign, as have fellow Wall Street banks Goldman Sachs (GS.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N).

(Additional reporting by Pamela Barbaglia; Editing by David Goodman)