First Union's Fla. Deal Gets Fed Approval

The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday approved First Union Corp.'s bid to acquire Home Financial Corp. and its subsidiary, Home Savings Bank, both of Hollywood, Fla.

The $139.9 billion-asset First Union, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., agreed to divest all of Home's real estate, securities, and insurance activities within two years. Bank holding companies are barred from engaging in these activities.

Separately, the Fed on Tuesday gave an Italian bank, Istituto Bancario San Paolo di Torino, permission to establish a full-service branch in New York City.

The Turin-based institution, with $159 billion in assets, is the largest commercial bank in Italy. It already operates an office in New York but could take only deposits related to international business. Tuesday's approval allows the bank to convert this office into a full-service branch.

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