CHARLOTTE, N.C. – FleetBoston Financial Corp. and Bank of America Corp. shareholders approved a $47 billion merger Wednesday that would create the nation’s No. 3 bank – and reportedly result in up to 13,000 job cuts.

More than 67 percent of Bank of America shareholders approved the deal in a meeting that lasted less than an hour. At a FleetBoston meeting held at the same time, 98 percent of shareholders gave their blessing to the merger, which is expected to be completed in April.

“When this merger closes, Bank of America will have an unrivaled market position in America’s growth and wealth markets,” said Bank of America chief executive Kenneth D. Lewis, who will hold the same position at the combined bank, which will retain the Bank of America name. Current FleetBoston CEO Chad Gifford will be chairman.

“We’re very pleased that our shareholders recognize the value in this transaction and the promise of a bright future as we join with Bank of America,” Gifford said.

About 70 percent of FleetBoston shareholders cast votes during a brief, sedate meeting at the Federal Reserve building in Boston. About 50 shareholders voted in person, while most mailed proxies.

The approvals had been widely expected following last week’s decision by the Federal Reserve that the merger was not anticompetitive and would not create too much concentration of banking resources.

With about 5,700 branches, the new bank’s footprint will reach from California through the South and up to New England, with assets estimated at $966 billion – trailing only Citigroup and another planned megamerger between Chicago-based Bank One and J.P. Morgan Chase.