Today's News

WASHINGTON BANKRUPTCY protection is too easy to obtain, and few who seek it consider other options, according to a study by Visa, which is urging legal reform. Page 4 Cyberterrorists may capture the imagination, but banks' enemies in the electronic future will lie within, a Treasury Department expert says. Page 4 COMMUNITY BANKING to drum up business among Latinos, Pan American Bank in Chicago is trying its luck with gimmicks like fortune tellers and macarena contests. Page 7 REGIONAL BANKING MARTIN MAYER's latest book is selling well, but some say the new version of "The Bankers" isn't new enough. Page 8 Citizens Financial Group of Rhode Island plans to increase its commercial lending in Connecticut with its fourth acquisition there in four years. Page 8 INTERNATIONAL Joining the pack, Fitch has started rating foreign countries, and has set up a group to do so. Page 11 TECHNOLOGY ON-LINE BANKING: Intuit Inc. bought into on-line banking standards for reasons of efficiency and freedom of choice, said chairman Scott Cook. Banks "aren't going to have to produce three or four different kinds of technology to serve three or four different parts of their audience." Page 17 Contrary to conventional wisdom, recent market research indicates women do not hate computers and they like the idea of banking on-line. Page 17 INVESTMENT PRODUCTS Edward D. Jones, the St. Louis brokerage with a shoe-leather philosophy about finding customers, is opening hundreds of one-broker storefronts in the Northeast. Page 12 J.P. Morgan's private bank is urging its wealthy clients to use tax-aware strategies for their investments. Page 13 MORTGAGES The recent round of lawsuits against wholesale mortgage originators is one of the most pressing concerns mortgage banks have to face, says the incoming president of the Mortgage Bankers Association. Page 14 CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs Nova Information Systems signed a letter of intent to acquire Richmond, Va.-based Crestar's $1.8 billion merchant processing portfolio. Page 16 MARKET MONITOR Three years after an exotic type of mortgage-backed security caused heavy losses for some investors, a market for similar derivatives is emerging. Page 22 Investors started putting some of their cash to work in the trust-preferred securities market after sitting on the sidelines for nearly two weeks. Back page