REDLINING CONTINUES, AGENCY FINDS

Despite the Clinton Administration's efforts to open up credit in poor and minority communities, banks are continuing their redlining practices, according to the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council -- a coordinating body for five U.S. agencies. The 1993 research indicates that banks, S&Ls and credit unions turned down blacks more than twice as often as whites with similar incomes, in line with the last four years' results. Officials at the American Bankers Association countered by claiming that the results were "at best a flawed measure" since they don't consider applicants' previous debt and credit records.