Rev. Jackson calls for foreclosure hiatus

ATLANTA, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson has called on banks in Georgia to pass on home foreclosure auctions at least through the holiday season.

"Why should banks subsidized by the government and protected by insurance paid for by homeowners put people out of their homes at Christmas?" Jackson asked, speaking in front of the Federal Home Loan Bank in Atlanta.

In his remarks, Jackson made note of Wachovia Bank, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Co., which declined to participate in an auction in October, sparing 1,400 homes from foreclosure, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday.

Jackson declared he would conduct "a roll call" of banks that would not participate in a holiday moratorium of the foreclosure auction, the newspaper said.

"We know the banks that have loans in the state. We'll have a roll call," said Jackson, founder of the Rainbow/P.U.S.H. Coalition.