A lawsuit filed by seven former employees of Wells Fargo & Co. alleges the company violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by firing the workers, each of whom is black, after background checks revealed past criminal convictions, The Des Moines Register reported. The suit, originally filed in state court but moved to U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa in February, claims that black applicants and employees are more affected by background checks because of disparities in the criminal justice system. The seven employees were terminated in 2012 after background checks found years-old convictions for crimes such as marijuana possession, illegally receiving welfare benefits and misdemeanor theft. Wells Fargo denied any wrongdoing, saying the bank must strictly enforce background checks required by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.