Huge Protests Planned for Showdown on Wall St. and at Banks Across the U.S. to Demand Financial Refo

The groups, ranging from church groups to veteran organizations, will hold small protests in their local communities and then converge in May for a demonstration in Washington. The coalition expects as many as 2,000 people to attend the latter, which will aim at lobbyists of the banking industry pushing back against tougher financial reform.

Protests are also being for the annual meetings of Bank of America in Charlotte, N.C. and Wells Fargo in San Francisco, with both firms aimed at because of their extensive mortgage lending businesses and retail operations. (Last year, the S.E.I.U. led a protest outside Bank of America's shareholder meeting and called for the resignation of the firm's chief executive, Kenneth D. Lewis.)

The groups also plan to hold a march down Wall Street on April 29, with organizers expecting as many as 5,000 people in attendance.

Besides the S.E.I.U., other participating organizations include the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the National People's Action, PICO National Network and the North Carolina United Power/IAF Southeast.