BOA female managing director sues bank for gender bias, unethical practices

New York

BANK of America Corp was sued by a managing director who says that beneath the "veneer of a world-class financial institution", the company treats women in her position like "second-class citizens" and pays them substantially less than their male counterparts.

Megan Messina, 42, went further in a federal lawsuit that was the talk of Wall Street. After detailing the compensation of a dozen colleagues, she accused the bank of front-running, lying to customers and manipulating prices. When Ms Messina complained about the "unlawful, unethical and improper practices", she claimed she was placed on forced leave and barred from returning to her office.