Today's News

WASHINGTON Two former staff members of BankAmerica were banned from banking and forced to pay their one-time employer about $14,000, a federal regulator said. Page 2 Maryland officials are planning to hike exam fees for state-chartered credit unions eightfold, matching the rates paid by Maryland banks. Page 3 REGIONAL BANKING Fannie Mae's earnings are up 12.2%. Page 4 COMMUNITY BANKING A South Carolina thrift found fresh ammunition for its battle with a notorious shareholder activist--an outside report siding with management. Page 6 Some banks in Minnesota and the Dakotas temporarily shut their doors this week after storms turned the region into a white wasteland. Page 6 INVESTMENT PRODUCTS The acquisition of U.S. Bancorp by First Bank System promises to bring a formidable mutual fund complex to a nearly national customer base. Page 7 TECHNOLOGY Chase expects to spend $250 million on "year-2000" conversions. "We understand the issue," says the program manager. "We have it under control." Page 13 IBM, Netscape, Network Computer, and Sun Microsystems are developing a standard for using smart cards with network computers. Page 14 CORPORATE FINANCE Deutsche Morgan Grenfell is beefing up its metals and mining finance operation in North America. Page 8 J.P. Morgan and Bank of Montreal launched an $835 million loan syndication for San Antonio's Valero Energy. Page 8 MORTGAGES Washington Mutual touted a community reinvestment pledge $5 billion larger than the $70 billion pledged by its rival in the battle over Great Western Financial, but community groups weren't buying it. Page 10 CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs MasterCard International and Coca-Cola USA have teamed up to reward consumers who buy Coca-Cola products with ATM Money Cards. Page 11 Michigan has joined the electronic benefits transfer parade and plans to include smart cards in its program. Page 11 Both bank card associations said charge volume and cards in circulation increased in 1996, but Visa gained market share at MasterCard's expense. Page 12

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