OTHER NEWS - March 25, 1996

U.S. Investigates Race Bias Charges at Fleet Bank: The Labor Department is investigating claims that Fleet Bank of New York tolerated widespread racial discrimination and harassment, including one alleging an executive cracked a whip over black employees’ heads. The inquiry comes in response to a $1.8-billion racial discrimination suit filed against Fleet by seven former and current employees alleges that black employees were unfairly fired or passed over for promotions, paid less than equally qualified whites and subjected to sexist and racial slurs. The bank, a unit of Fleet Financial Group Inc. of Boston, has denied the allegations.