Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Bank of New York Mellon Corp.’s chief executive officer, Robert Kelly, told his company’s operating committee that he’s not interested becoming the head of Bank of America Corp.

“I want to be clear: I am not interested,” Kelly wrote yesterday to the operating committee of the New York-based company, according to a memo obtained by Bloomberg News.

Bank of America, the biggest U.S. bank, is looking for a new chief as Kenneth Lewis plans to step down at year-end. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based firm has broadened its search to include candidates who want to live in New York, people familiar with the matter said. Cable television network CNBC reported yesterday that Kelly was in the running for the position, without saying where it got the information.

BNY Mellon, the world’s biggest custody bank, is “well- positioned” for the future, Kelly said in his memo. BNY Mellon, which handles recordkeeping, securities lending and other administrative work for institutional investors, oversees more than $22 trillion in assets.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sree Vidya Bhaktavatsalam in Boston at sbhaktavatsa@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 5, 2009 14:32 EST