A Black job applicant is seeking $5 million in federal court from Sallie Mae, alleging that when the bank asked about criminal histories for prospective employees, it practiced a form of racial discrimination.

Willie Gilder, of Middletown, whose offer of employment with Newark-headquartered Sallie May was rescinded in 2017 and who was granted a right to sue notice by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last year, is seeking class certification for his lawsuit filed Wednesday in the District of Delaware, which he says is representative of policies that have disparately affected African American applicants.