John C. Liu, the New York City Comptroller and six large unions in the city have planned a campaign due to begin today to press the biggest banks to do more to prevent foreclosures in the New York area, according to an article by Steven Greenhouse in today's edition of The New York Times.

The group said that 265,000 mortgages in New York State - 13 percent of all mortgages in the state - are past due or already in the foreclosure process.

"Mr. Liu said the group would send Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo, among others, a letter that criticizes them for dragging their feet on modifying mortgages that are underwater or delinquent, and that urges them to do 'everything possible to avert foreclosures. Depending on the response the coalition members get, they might move pension funds and bank deposits to other institutions, according to union officials," the article maintained, adding that The Times had received a copy of the letter in advance.

"'The federal programs in place just aren't having a desired effect,' Mr. Liu said in an interview on Tuesday. 'People are losing their homes. It continues to be a drag on our regional economy,'" the article continued, adding that the banks would be asked to "immediately name a high-level official to handle appeals of borrowers who are denied loan modifications.'"

Their letter criticized the banks for "unanswered phone calls, delays in the modification process and multiple requests for homeowners to resend paperwork already submitted."

"Banks like you can do more," the comptroller and union presidents write, asking that the banks respond by September 1.

The unions involved are the United Federation of Teachers, the 1199 health care workers union, the Transport Workers Union, the District Council 37 municipal employees union, the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council, and Local 32BJ of the service employees union.

The letter claimed that the banks "can do more" and the article quoted Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers as stating that "It seems that the banks are not really doing a lot on this," adding "They're not trying to negotiate in many instances."

The article said that Mr. Liu maintained that "'it's premature to talk about sticks,' like moving city funds out of banks that are deemed unresponsive. But Mr. Mulgrew said he had alerted the trustees of his union's pension fund to the situation, raising the possibility that they might take some action. Union officials say pension funds are hurt by foreclosures because they weaken the economy and hurt bank profits, helping to drive down bank share prices."

Richard Simon, a Bank of America spokesman, said his bank "is committed to helping our customers remain in their homes, as demonstrated by 650,000 modifications we have completed since January 2008, including about 160,000 so far this year."

"A Citigroup spokesman, Mark Rodgers, made similar comments. 'In the first quarter of 2010, our various modification and extension programs helped many families stay in their homes in New York State, outnumbering those who were foreclosed by approximately 54 to 1,' he said in an e-mail message. 'Nationally, from Jan. 1, 2007, through March 31, 2010, Citi has helped more than 900,000 homeowners avoid potential foreclosure,'" the article said.