U.S. securities regulators will continue to "vigorously pursue" charges against Bank of America Corp for allegedly misleading investors over bonuses paid to Merrill Lynch employees, a top Securities and Exchange Commission official said on Friday.

The SEC's chief enforcer Robert Khuzami said the agency will take "all necessary steps" to prove its case against Bank of America in court after a federal judge rejected a $33 million settlement between the bank and regulator.

The case is scheduled to go trial early next year.