The Atlanta City Council called a special meeting today with members of Atlanta's financial institutions to discuss lending patterns described in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution series ``The Color of Money."
Chief executives of Atlanta banks and savings and loan associations were invited to the public meeting, which was set to begin at noon at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel.
Marvin Arrington, president of the council, said a biracial group of council members agreed Monday to call the meeting.
"We're going to ask them if the numbers are correct, and if they're correct, what are they going to do about it," Arrington said before the meeting.
Council member Jabari Simama added, "We need to take serious, extraordinary steps to put pressure on the banks to do better."
The Journal-Constitution series, which concludes today, describes how Atlanta banks and savings and loans rarely make home loans in black or integrated neighborhoods. The articles were based on a five-month study of lenders' reports to the federal government.
In other reaction, the series was the focus of a report Tuesday morning on NBC's "Today" show. Henry B. Garmon, chairman and chief executive officer of Fulton Federal Savings and Loan, and Fulton County Commission Chairman Michael Lomax were interviewed for the NBC report.
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