New York

BANK of America, seeking to get on with the business of banking after legal and mortgage troubles, said on Wednesday that its second-quarter profit more than doubled from a year ago, easily surpassing analysts' expectations.

Still, analysts cautioned that while the surprisingly good results reflect progress in cutting expenses, they were also helped by a steep drop in litigation costs and other one-time items, like adjustments to the value of certain debt holdings thanks to a rise in interest rates in the quarter.