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REGIONAL BANKING: IN A MOVE to further develop consumer, emerging markets, and multinational corporate banking, Citicorp has given three executives increased responsibilities. "Our objective is to broaden participants and bring together the best functional skills," chairman John Reed said in a memo. WASHINGTON: A FEDERAL RESERVE Board decision granting an Iowa bank permission to offer title abstracting has given some Fed watchers hope that the agency is warming to bank title-insurance sales. Page 2 THE DEADLINE set by the Resolution Trust Corp. for accepting new cases came and went without any last-minute thrift shutdowns. Page 2 COMMUNITY BANKING: DESPITE the spotty record of such deals in recent years, outside investors last week injected new capital into two ailing institutions in Southern California. Page 8 MORTGAGES: THOUGH interest rates have been falling since the beginning of the year, consumers are not ready to buy homes and big-ticket items, industry observers say. The reason: A lack of confidence in the economy. Page 14 INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: AFTER MONTHS on the sidelines, bank brokerage customers are finally getting into the stock fund game. Page 6 CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs: CARD ISSUERS can expect more court challenges on the exportation of fees, attorney Michael E. Sumner writes. Page 12 AS THE BATTLE over regulatory relief rages in the House Banking Committee, it appears that any final bill would likely include some provisions addressing payment systems. Page 13 TECHNOLOGY: A SURVEY of senior executives at the top 200 U.S. banks found they expect the number of ways they distribute services to at least double in the next 10 years and see branches, though reconfigured, continuing to be crucial to serving customers. Page 9 FINANCE: FACED WITH the costly delays and exorbitant fees of a traditional bankruptcy battle, more lenders and their borrowers are trying to shorten the process. Back page

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