Bank says executive is gone; no comment on harassment probe

Bank of America has confirmed that a high-profile senior executive has left the company, but it would not comment on reports of an internal investigation into sexual harassment allegations.

Omeed Malik is no longer a bank employee, spokesman Bill Halldin said Saturday in an email. Malik's departure was effective the week of Jan. 8, Halldin said, declining to comment further.

The New York Times reported Friday that Malik, who was a managing director and helped to run the brokerage business that raises money for investment funds, left after a female analyst complained of inappropriate sexual conduct in the past few weeks.

The human resources office for Bank of America Corp., which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, began investigating and interviewed as many as a dozen people who worked with Malik, the newspaper said, citing unidentified people at the bank who were briefed on the investigation but were not authorized to speak publicly.

Malik's departure comes as sexual harassment and assault allegations have rolled through media companies, Hollywood and Silicon Valley.

The newspaper said Malik and his lawyer, Mark Lerner, did not respond to requests for comment. The Associated Press left messages Saturday for an attorney named Mark Lerner, who specializes in employment law in New York.

Malik was a speaker at a conference founded in part by former White House communications chief Anthony Scaramucci. A biography for the conference said Malik was the global head of capital strategy for Bank of America, selecting hedge funds for the firm to partner with.

Malik also was a corporate lawyer and had worked in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the biography said.

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Information from: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com