Five black current and former employees of Bank of America Corp. have sued the second-largest U.S. bank, accusing it of racial discrimination by steering lucrative clients to their white counterparts, Reuters reported.

The 29-page complaint, filed with the U.S. District Court in Boston, contends that the bank discriminates against African-Americans in pay, promotions, training and support services.

It said the bank regularly teams African-American workers together and assigns them to largely minority neighborhoods and low net-worth clients.

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.

A spokeswoman for the bank was not immediately available for comment.

The complaint covers April 2003 to the present and seeks class-action status. It seeks a halt to the alleged improper practices, back pay and compensatory and punitive damages.