Business Notes Community Development

Angry small-business owners in Texas who don't get loans from NCNB, the giant Southern bank, sometimes say the initials stand for "No Cash for No Body." The gripes grew even louder last month, when NCNB and C&S/Sovran said they would merge to form the third largest U.S. bank. Critics predicted short shrift for the poor and struggling. But last week the new giant, NationsBank, promised to lend $10 billion during the next decade in a community-development program that will encompass nine states. Goals include the financing of affordable housing and consumer loans for workers "left on the sidelines of economic progress."