BofA sued for race bias

Bank of America Corp. has been sued for race discrimination by allegedly steering wealthy clients to white co-workers. Five black current and former employees of the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank brought the suit. The 29-page complaint, filed Thursday with the U.S. District Court in Boston, also contends that the bank discriminates against black employees in pay, promotions, training, and support services. The bank regularly teams black workers together and assigns them to largely minority neighborhoods and low net-worth clients, according to the complaint. When the workers complained, according to the lawsuit, the bank said it believed that clients are more "comfortable" dealing with bankers and brokers of their own race. The plaintiffs worked for BofA branches in the Atlanta, St. Louis, and south Florida areas.