In Brief: Discrimination Complaint Against Zions

A coalition of 10 minority business and community groups has filed a discrimination complaint against $16.6 billion-asset Zions Bancorp. of Salt Lake City.

Led by the San Francisco-based Greenlining Institute, the coalition complained to the U.S. Department of Labor that women and minorities are virtually nonexistent on Zions' board and among its banks' upper management.

"We have examined over two dozen major banks in the West," Ben Benavidez, president of the Mexican American Political Association, said in a press release. "None has as poor a record in promoting Latinos."

Harris S. Simmons, president and chief executive officer of Zions, said two of its board members are women, though he acknowledged that no board members are minority members. "We think that we've made a lot of efforts in recent years to reflect the population that we're serving," he said.

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