Most Banks Premiums Are Cut to - Nothing For the first time in its 61-year history, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. voted to drop most bank premiums to zero, shaving banks' expenses next year by nearly $1 billion. Ninety-two percent of the nation's banks will get deposit insurance almost for free. November 15 18150 Rep. Jim Leach has always been known as an intellectual on Capitol Hill. But the Iowa Republican's critics say the House Banking Committee might be better served if it were led by an old-fashioned politician. November 14 18103 The Fed gave Fleet the go-ahead to acquire Shawmut and disclosed at the same time that the Justice Department was investigating fair-lending charges against Fleet. Never before had the Fed cleared a merger deal while such an investigation was in progress. November 16 18191 New York-area political leaders and activists panned Chemical's proposed acquisition of Chase. "We believe that as banks get bigger, they must get better," said one activist at a regulatory hearing. "We don't believe that is the case here." November 17 18247 Bankers scored a major victory when congressional budget negotiators agreed to limit the federal government's share of the student loan market to 10% Under an administration initiative, the government was scheduled to claim 40% of the market this year and an additional 20% by 1998. November 13 19794 REGIONAL BANKING Also-Ran for Chief Exec Of BankAmerica Quits BankAmerica's vice chairman and chief financial officer announced his resignation. Lewis W. Coleman had lost out to David A. Coulter in the competition to succeed the retiring Richard Rosenberg as chairman and chief executive. November 15 18156 Daniel R. Smith, chairman and chief executive of First of America in Kalamazoo, Mich., said he'll retire May 1. The designated successor: his No. 2 man over the past 10 years. November 13 19768 San Francisco-based First Nationwide is selling four New Jersey branches and $510 million in deposits to Midlantic. November 14 18100 Wells Fargo's sweetened counteroffer for First Interstate drew mixed reviews, apparently hurting its chances of success. Wells upped its stock offer, but market gyrations raised doubts about the market value of the bid. Those doubts might tip the takeover battle in favor of First Bank System. November 16 18195 MBNA, Wells, and CoreStates scored the best returns on assets among the 65 largest U.S. banking companies in the third quarter, according to the American Banker's performance roundup. November 17 18225 COMMUNITY BANKING Texas Banks a Hard Sell For Big Correspondents Old habits die hard at Texas community banks, and memories are long. Despite efforts by big out-of-state regionals to reassert their correspondent banking presence, Texas' 900 community institutions prefer to deal with in-state banks. November 15 18131 New Jersey's Berkeley Federal Bank and Trust has sold most of its three- state branch network to focus on its profitable asset-disposition business and on subprime lending. November 16 18172 Persistent Hubco Inc. of New Jersey has been rebuffed again in an attempt to buy a foothold in New York State. This time the unwilling prey was MSB Bancorp. November 17 18221 Russell Goldsmith ran a major movie studio before becoming chairman and chief executive of City National Bank in Beverly Hills. Analysts are betting he'll be a big draw at the filmdom "bank to the stars." November 13 19789 Nearly everything about Home Financial of affluent Hollywood, Fla., says takeover candidate. The state's second-largest public thrift is twice as the average thrift - and about twice as profitable. November 14 18097 COMPLIANCE CRA Guide Re-Revised; Industry Dissatisfied Regulators again overhauled their instructions to examiners evaluating banks under the revised CRA. Industry officials said the changes didn't go far enough. November 16 18170 The fees banks pay to mortgage brokers should no longer have to be disclosed to borrowers, lenders told the government. But the banking industry is divided over HUD plan to leave this and other possible changes in real estate lending rules to a committee. November 16 18173 The government has added 84 names allegedly tied to illegal drug trafficking in Colombia to its 34-page list of nations and individuals that U.S. banks must avoid. November 16 18190 CREDIT UNIONS Bear Stearns Courting Small Credit Unions Wall Street powerhouse Bear Stearns wants to do business with credit unions. Most investment banks consider all but the few largest too small to be clients, but Bear Stearns says it can succeed by attracting enough of them. November 13 19787 Ed Gallagly, president of Florida Central Credit Union, says some of his peers are overlooking a profitable market: the poor. November 13 19785 An informal alliance of credit unions wants regulators to put the brakes