Surprise: Finance Bill Forces Diversity on Wall Street

Turns out that hidden inside the massive financial reform bill that was signed into law last week were a few words that appear to give the government new leverage to push Wall Street firms to hire more women and minorities. The bill gives the government the right to terminate contracts with companies that don't provide evidence of "fair inclusion" of women and minorities, Politico explains.

It will force companies to account for the composition of their work force, which proponents say is way overdue in what remains one of corporate America's last men's clubs. But Republicans are outraged, saying the law is so vague it could amount to an unofficial quota system. “This is an expansion of racial engineering that we haven’t seen in a long time,” one attorney tells Politico.
(More Wall Street stories.)