Warren Buffett supports dual titles for BofA’s Brian Moynihan

The Oracle of Omaha sees a bright future for Brian Moynihan.

Warren Buffett on Tuesday signaled that he would line up against Bank of America shareholders and two proxy advisory firms, and back a controversial bank move to have Moynihan keep both his chief executive officer and chairman titles.

“If I could vote, I would vote as management suggests, which is to have Brian take on the CEO and chairman job,” Buffett said during an interview on CNBC.

“He’s done a first-class job,” the 85-year-old Berkshire Hathaway CEO added.

The Charlotte, NC, bank last October gave Moynihan both titles — a move that was seen by many as dissing shareholders, who five years earlier voted to keep the posts separate.

The bank has maintained that it’s changed significantly since the 2009 shareholder vote, and splitting Moynihan’s dual role would hurt the bank during a period when it was finally starting to get back on its feet.

The BofA position fell mostly on deaf ears, and investors pressed to bring the matter to a head.

Under pressure, the bank this spring allowed the issue to come to a vote, scheduled for Sept. 22.

As of Sept. 4, two proxy advisory firms (Glass Lewis and ISS) and two major shareholders (California pension funds CalPERS and CalSTRS) came out against combining the posts.

As nay-saying shareholders appeared to be gaining momentum, Buffett joined the fray on Moynihan’s side.

But Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway doesn’t own any BofA shares.

Berkshire does own warrants as part of a $5 billion investment that allows it to buy 700 million shares at $7.14 each — a position that Buffett has previously said he doesn’t plan on exercising until 2021, right before the warrants expire.

But even though he doesn’t own a direct stake, Buffett’s word is good on Wall Street.

The Nebraska billionaire has swooped in to give a boost to companies from Goldman Sachs to Harley Davidson — usually by providing financing when companies are in dire need of a Buffett seal of approval — and his cash.

In fact, the $5 billion investment in BofA, made in 2011, was a signal to Wall Street that he thought the bank was a good long-term bet.

BofA shares on Tuesday rose 3.2 percent, to $16.15. They are still down 9.7 percent on the year.