Spare Change: Another Suburban Bank Twits 1st Chicago on $3 Fee

In another community-bank stab at First Chicago Corp.'s much-maligned teller fees, a new bank president is paying $3 to customers who come in to meet him.

On certain days this month at the bank's three locations in Chicago's southwest suburbs, customers who meet William Conaghan, president of Bridgeview Bank and Trust Co. get a coupon worth $3 when added to a Bridgeview account.

Mr. Conaghan, who has been at the $135 million-asset bank for four months, said he thought the promotion would let him meet and get feedback from customers.

"I think this will help me to really get to know the community and get to know the customers," said Mr. Conaghan, a lawyer and former state regulator.

He said near the close of the first day of the promotion that 40 people had stopped by.

Bridgeview had not allocated a specific amount of money for the "$3 handshake," but Mr. Conaghan said the promotional budget would cover the total.

Earlier this year, First Chicago announced changes in its checking accounts that included $3 teller fees in some instances.

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Pennsylvania's community bankers came down to Palm Beach, Fla., last weekend, hoping to get in a lot of golf, catch some sun and surf, and maybe even learn a thing or two.

Well, one out of three ain't bad.

Attendees at the fourth annual convention of the Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers were disappointed by the weather in the Sunshine State. Rain forced the postponement of the bankers' favorite activity, golf; the course at the Breakers' Hotel was flooded.

And an evening beach party, complete with a 10-team goofy-game competition, was held inside one of the resort's ballrooms because of the inclement weather.

Early arrivals even had to cope with a blackout for about four hours just before the convention started; lightning struck a power transformer.

"It was a stormy convention, weather-wise," said Ed Molnar, president and chief executive of Harleysville Savings Bank, who was completing a term as chairman of the trade group.

- Barbara F. Bronstien and Jonathan D. Epstein

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