ATLANTA -- Three Atlanta-area counties have filed a lawsuit claiming that British bank HSBC engaged in predatory lending that ended up costing them hundreds of millions of dollars.

Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties say the bank aggressively signed minorities to housing loans that were likely to fail. The counties say it caused tremendous damage, including extra expenses and lost tax revenue.

The lawsuit says the banks violated the Fair Housing Act, which provides protections against housing or renting policies or practices that discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status or handicap.

A lawyer for HSBC said he couldn't comment on the lawsuit, which was filed in October. A federal judge has given the bank until Jan. 25 to file a response.

LittlePINKBook.com, the digital platform for career women, hosted its 8th Annual Fall Empowerment Event on November 13. More than 300 professional women attended the luncheon event, at the Atlanta History Center, along with more than 550 unique viewers joining via live stream. Some viewers planned gatherings of 50 or more women and leveraged the event to enhance their own business and networking meetings in cities across the globe.

The executives on the panel candidly answered questions related to their career paths to the C-Suite. Glenda Umaña, anchor at CNN en Español, was the event’s moderator. Read LittlePINKBook.com’s “Top 10 Takeaways” for favorite thoughts shared by the three panelists:

·        Teri List-Stoll, SVP and Treasurer, Procter & Gamble

ATLANTA - Things are brighter for the economy. Real estate prices in Atlanta are increasing and that's cause for hope. It was a perfect day for an open house on Sunday when we caught up with local real estate agent Ann Morris at her Inman Park listing.

"I think people are wanting to move back into town,"she said.

Intown market research by Adams Realtors shows some inner city neighborhoods are seeing price increases.

Home prices in Cabbagetown and Edgewood have increased 8 percent over a year ago and midtown prices are up 4 percent.

"I have seen some prices going up," Devon Johnson told us as he was touring another open house in Inman Park.

He's also seen inventory going down which explains some of the new home construction going on down the street on North Highland Avenue where 57 new townhouses are being built along the belt line.

Two block away 18 new townhomes have been built, all but two are sold.