Reuters: Protests intensify as mortgage settlement nears

(Reuters) - As state and federal officials near a deal with top banks to settle claims of foreclosure abuses, left-leaning activist groups have stepped up pressure on the officials to reach a deal that demands more from the banks.

Around three dozen protestors from groups that include MoveOn.org, National People's Action and The New Bottom Line gathered outside the State of Illinois building in downtown Chicago on Monday morning in a blustery rain chanting "banks got bailed out, we got sold out."

The activists, some of whom held signs that said "make Wall Street pay" and "President Obama investigate banks now," also marched a few blocks east and chanted in front of President Barack Obama's re-election campaign headquarters.

Democratic state attorneys general and Obama administration officials are meeting on Monday in Chicago to discuss the terms of the settlement, and Republican state officials are expected to be briefed on a conference call later in the day.

Several protest leaders said they planned to confront negotiators meeting at a Hilton hotel near O'Hare International Airport.

A spokesman for Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who is leading the negotiations on behalf of the states, declined comment beyond saying no news conference or announcement was planned for this week.

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