Today's News

WASHINGTON: REGULATORS plan to give the industry about 18 months to comply with the revised Community Reinvestment Act rules, Federal Reserve Board Governor Lawrence B. Lindsey said. Page 3 THE FEDERAL Reserve reported Wednesday that although the economy continues to expand, loan demand mostly slowed. Page 2 COMMUNITY BANKING: THE MISSOURI Bankers Association is hoping to avoid an internal fight over its position on the explosive interstate branching issue by holding a series of meetings this week across the state. Page 6 COMPLIANCE: THE FED reversed its Jan. 4 decision to recalculate annual percentage yields under Truth-in-Savings. Page 8 BANKERS LOOKING for good community reinvestment ideas have been tapping into the ABA's data base of successful programs done by other institutions. Page 8 MORTGAGES: MANY COMPANIES that are high on the list of Ginnie Mae lenders or had big increases in Ginnie Mae volume last year, say it's because they have stuck steadfastly to a niche of the mortgage business that other lenders have shunned. Page 10 MORTGAGE BROKERS accounted for six out of every 10 mortgages issued in 1993, their trade group says. Page 10 INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: TWO FORMER BANKERS have emerged as the leaders of the new mutual fund giant Van Kampen/American Capital Inc. And true to their background, a key part of their strategy is to sell more mutual funds through banks. Page 14 CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs: SCHLUMBERGER, the French electronics and industrial company, believes it has a clear view into the card-technology crystal ball. Page 16 MICROCARD Technologies Corp., the oldest and by some measures most prominent of the French-owned smart card companies, has also been the quietest in the United States. But this may begin to change, a marketing executive hinted. Page 17 TECHNOLOGY: IMPERIAL BANK in California, after implementing aggressive check fraud detection measures, has reduced its check fraud losses by 77% in 1994. Page 18 FINANCE: EVEN WITH some powerful forces behind it, securitization of business loans appears to have come up against its greatest opponent: a borrower's market. Page 24 THE EERIE QUIET along the loan securitization front over the past year reflects both the robust health of most banks and the maturing of this area of the banking business. Page 2 4