According to the Boston Business Journal, six banks in Western Massachusetts are seeking to invalidate two ordinances in Springfield that aim to control and maintain foreclosed and vacant properties.

The hearing was held after the banks appealed a decision last year by a judge in U.S. District Court in Springfield who upheld the 2011 ordinances. The city approved the ordinances after the financial crisis of 2008 helped leave Springfield with nearly 5,000 vacant and abandoned homes that contributed to blight in some neighborhoods.