CEO Wells Fargo apologizes for not being able to find a talented black man to work for him.

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 20: Cyclists gather in Times Square, protesting systemic racism in law enforcement and the police killing of unarmed black Americans on June 20, 2020 in New York City. Spurred by the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, marches and rallies have taken place daily in dozens of cities across the country for more than three weeks.(Photo by Scott Heins/Getty Images)

In a memo to the bank’s publicly available staff, Sharp apologized for being “an insensitive remark that reflects my own unconscious prejudice.”

“Diverse and talented individuals Wells Fargo (WFC) He had no intention of implying any other meaning across the financial services industry. “It’s clear that we haven’t been enough to improve diversity across the industry, especially at senior management, and there’s no question that Wells Fargo needs to make meaningful progress to increase its diverse representation.”

Scharf’s original opinion was First reported by ReutersWas written in a June memo after a widespread protest against George Floyd’s death and urged the diversity of corporate offices to address the issue of organized racism.

In the memo, he said, referring to the bank’s top management, “we need a more diverse representation on the steering committee.” But he went on to say, “It may sound like an excuse, but the unfortunate reality is that the pool of black talent to recruit is very limited.”

He later said in the original memo, “Given the experience needed for some of our roles, our progress will not be straightforward, but please judge the progress over my two years of CEO tenure.”

CNN Business received a copy of the original note confirming the Reuters report.

“As I said in June, I promised it should be different this time,” he said. He said the bank needed to have more diverse executives. He said he was “inspired by our early progress” to address these needs.

Sharp what Recruited as CEO 1 year ago Solve many problems The most notable thing about Wells Fargo Fake account scandal It was released 4 years ago. In February, the bank $3 billion settlement Closes books on civil and criminal liability of regulators and banks.

Scharf was criticized by Congressman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Tweet Late Tuesday, “Perhaps the one who lacks the talent to hire black workers is the CEO of Wells Fargo.”

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