Fleet gets a D from NAACP, says it’s misinterpreted

BOSTON – FleetBoston Financial Corp. got a D grade from the NAACP for its performance in promoting diversity and service to the black community. In its defense, Fleet said this merger with BankBoston made it impossible to get all the information sought by the NAACP in time or in the form they asked for. Fleet was ranked 11th among the 15 banks in the country rated for their service to the black community. Fleet said that with the merger complete it could gather the information the NAACP wanted and submit it to them. A Fleet spokesman said he planned to talk to the civil rights organization about reinterpreting the company’s position.