Today Bank of America workers are speaking out about BofA's anti-consumer sales practices and failed banking model.

In articles from the LA Times and Associated Press today, current and former Bank of America employees talk about how Bank of America "encouraged" its employees to "burden consumers with debt and enroll them in high-fee programs." BofA employees also allege the bank targets low-income working people and Latinos who can't afford and don't need the products that bury them in debt.

The LA Times reports in a story titled, "Bank of America is accused of exploiting Latino immigrant customers":

The former workers said they were going public to lay out what they saw as a little-known side of BofA's business model: encouraging working-class customers to sign up for high-interest-rate credit and cash advance services and structuring an array of check and debit card services to maximize overdraft fees and other charges.

The AP reports on how these practices in bank branches were the other side of the finanical mess that played out on Wall St.:

Risky bank policies that contributed to the financial crisis were as common in neighborhood branches as they were on Wall Street, according to a labor-backed coalition that will propose new reforms Tuesday.

Bank of America Corp. and other large banks encouraged customer service representatives and tellers to burden consumers with debt and enroll them in high-fee programs, alleges a group which includes the National Association of Consumer Advocates and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

The LA Times has more on how Latinos were specific targets of Bank of America:

Ornelas and three other former BofA tellers, all Latina women, said they and their co-workers were repeatedly instructed to seek potential new Spanish-speaking customers outside the bank. Some were instructed to go to embassies where recent emigres often wait in queue for visa and passport services.

Other tellers were asked to go to neighborhood stores, clinics and child welfare centers, and several were asked to recruit customers at a religiously oriented Mother's Day celebration, they said.

This news is extraordinary because current and former employees of Bank of America are speaking out about the anti-consumer practices of the bank and how they hurt consumers, employees, and the economy as a whole.

In a call today with consumer advocates and Rep. Keith Ellison, more Bank of America employees will talk about their experiences with the company and how the bank's practices affect customers.

If you're a Bank of America employee and want to speak out about what you see at work, go to LetsTalkBanks.com and tell us what you think.