June 1 (Reuters) - Paul V. Morris, a private wealth

adviser whose name appeared in the Department of Justice files

on disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has left his position

at Merrill Lynch, a unit of Bank of America ( BAC ), a company

spokesperson said.

A company spokesperson confirmed the departure, first

reported by Bloomberg News, but the spokesperson declined to

specify when it occurred. There was no indication whether his

departure was related to his ties to Epstein.

Morris joined Merrill in August 2016, his LinkedIn profile

shows. The Epstein documents showed that in his role at Merrill,

Morris was in touch with Epstein's assistant and the financier's

accountant between 2017 and 2018.

Morris previously held positions at JPMorgan Chase ( JPM )

and Deutsche Bank, DoJ documents show. His name appears several

times in the Epstein files. In one file, his name appeared as

part of a JPMorgan ( JPM ) team that approved Epstein as a client in

2011. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01480927.pdf

JPMorgan ( JPM ), the largest U.S. bank, faces lawsuits from women

who claim Epstein sexually abused them, as well as litigation

from the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein maintained a

residence.

Epstein was not a client of Merrill Lynch, the wealth

management arm of Bank of America ( BAC ), according to a person

familiar with the matter.

Morris could not be reached by telephone, and did not

immediately reply to a request for comment on LinkedIn or his

Merrill Lynch email.

Morris had consulted Epstein repeatedly after joining Bank

of America ( BAC ), according to Bloomberg.

Morris led the Morris Group within Merrill Private Wealth

Management, his LinkedIn profile shows.

Scrutiny has intensified on the ties between major financial

institutions and Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while

awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein's

death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City

was ruled suicide.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that JPMorgan

Chase ( JPM ) bankers continued to meet with Epstein even after the bank

decided to close his accounts in 2013.

Similarly, Department of Justice files revealed that

Deutsche Bank continued to service Epstein's accounts after

informing him in late 2018 that it would end their relationship,

only fully severing ties following his arrest in July 2019.