WASHINGTON:
big banks are asking Congress to forbid state regulators from discriminating against their insurance offices.
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THE OCC will today propose easing restrictions on investment in community development lenders. Page 2
REGIONAL BANKING:
Norwest, piecing together a Texas franchise, is buying $450 million-asset Benson Financial in San Antonio.
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A FORMER CITI executive who sold its Arizona franchise two years ago and then quit banking has been hired to lead Banc One's operations in the state.
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COMMUNITY BANKING:
SHAREHOLDER activists pushing for higher returns are giving executives of mutual thrifts in New England second thoughts about converting to stock form. "It's a difficult thing to deal with," says Stanley J. Lukowski, CEO of Eastern Bank Corp., a mutual in Lynn, Mass.
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WHEN AMERIHOST, the big Illinois hotel company, needs construction financing, it turns to local community banks, not its big-bank credit facility.
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MORTGAGES:
STALLED BUDGET TALKS are subtly affecting the mortgage market. Budget worries seen behind a slight rise last week in 30-year fixed rates despite the Fed rate cut. Page 7
COMPLIANCE:
A GOOD WAY to monitor for loan bias is to use statistical analysis to pinpoint possibly troublesome loan files for review, writes consultant Arthur R. Preiss Jr.
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INVESTMENT PRODUCTS:
AS THEY RING IN the new year, mutual fund companies that sell through banks are readying an expanded array of sales support and training programs.
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BANKS ARE RELYING on a captive audience of traditional corporate customers to gain a bigger share of money market assets.
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TECHNOLOGY:
AS THEY FIGHT customer flight to nonbanks, banks can learn a lesson from Wal-Mart, writes Unisys strategist George M. Bollenbacher.
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CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs:
CREDIT CARD MARKETERS are increasingly turning to outsourcing.
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FACED WITH DECLINING mail-order response rates and indications of market saturation, credit card issuers are being forced to refine and redefine their methods for identifying prospects.
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FINANCE:
NATIONAL CITY's investment banking unit is gaining momentum in its efforts to build a full-service brokerage operation.
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