Today's News

WASHINGTON

The Fed proposed new restrictions on bank subsidiaries despite pleas from other regulators to drop the project.

REGIONAL BANKING

ABN Amro North America is stepping up its marketing efforts as it tries to integrate a slew of acquisitions it made in the past year.

Mellon agreed to buy the commercial mortgage servicing portfolio of Bankers Trust.

CORPORATE FINANCE

NationsBank said distance won't hurt its partnership with Montgomery Securities once it buys the San Francisco securities firm.

FUTUREBANKING

Internet TV promises huge opportunities for financial services companies. On the other hand, it also means a new class of intermediaries standing between banks and consumers, including-who else?-Microsoft's Bill Gates.

COMMUNITY BANKING

Rainy skies helped make rather sunny profits for agricultural lenders last year.

CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs

CREDIT CARD ADVERTISING: The retired architect of Visa International's most enduring advertising strategy speaks about Visa's continuing success in the competitive market.

MORTGAGES

Hampstead Financial of New Jersey aims to be the prototype of a new breed of mortgage company: one in which home loans open the door for brokers to sell a variety of financial services and products.

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

Chase Manhattan and its affiliate, Texas Commerce, are planning an overhaul of the Houston bank's mutual fund family.

The New England is betting that single-premium variable life will give it entree into banks.

TECHNOLOGY

The joint venture formed by Microsoft and First Data could indirectly boost the fortunes of a number of bank technology vendors.

MARKET MONITOR

The biggest bank and thrift stocks outpaced the first-half bull market.

Strong second-quarter earnings for banks should please investors, analysts say. But slowing growth is clearly in the cards.