WASHINGTON
State regulators assailed a plan that would let national banks open trust offices outside their headquarters states. Page 2
REGIONAL BANKING
The big midwestern regionals haven't jumped on the supermarket branching bandwagon. But BankAmerica's plans could change that. Page 5
Pennsylvania's CoreStates and Meridian made their first announcement of closing plans related to their pending merger. A 200-worker administrative services center is to be closed. Page 5
COMMUNITY BANKING
Though small banks in most of California are in full recovery, those in the Central Valley, which includes Los Angeles, are still struggling with lingering effects recession. Page 8
The best checking account values in the nation's cities are most often found at community banks and thrifts, according to Consumer Reports magazine. Page 8
COMPLIANCE
The OCC is planning a computer assist for national bank exams, which might become a little less painful as a result. Page 10
A group of bankers began meeting this month to discuss ways to simplify the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and the Truth-in-Lending Act. Page 11
INVESTMENT PRODUCTS
NationsBank passed up its option to buy a 25% stake in Gartmore PLC, a London-based institutional money manager. Natwest has bought the whole company for $713 million. Page 12
A Bisys unit, Concord Financial, will distribute the new Chase's proprietary mutual funds. Richard E. Stierwalt, chairman of Concord, said it is planning wider sales through financial planners and nonbank broker-dealers. Chase's $9.4 billion- asset Vista Funds will be pooled with Chemical's $7 billion-asset Hanover Funds. Page 12
MORTGAGES
Companies that specialize in collecting and processing monthly mortgage payments for other servicers are riding high. Page 14
Angered by an ad campaign against flat-tax plans, the House majority leader has asked the General Accounting Office whether Fannie Mae and Freddie can be banned from lobbying and other political activities. Page 14
TECHNOLOGY
Dow Jones says it has created the first on-demand video news service to deliver full-motion pictures and sound to traders' desktop computers. Page 18
Continuing its buying spree, Checkfree is acquiring Oregon-based Interactive Solutions. The software firm should help Checkfree, which processes bill payments electronically, extend its services to the Internet. Page 18
FINANCE
Bank stocks rebounded after Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan told the Senate Banking Committee that the central bank understands the economy is going through a "significant soft patch." The testimony was interpreted to imply that the Fed is still considering a further rate cut. Back page
Falling rates and volatility in foreign exchange markets helped money- center banks boost their trading revenue 30% last year. Back page
