Today's News

Firstar CEO Roger Fitzsimonds is trying to keep the Milwaukee bank from becoming takeover prey. Page 4 WASHINGTON Most banks will have to file quarterly call reports electronically starting in the third quarter, regulators said. Page 3 CORPORATE FINANCE The head of BankBoston's nascent loan syndications market research and analysis group resigned to join Banc One as head of syndications distribution. Page 7 MORTGAGES Seven out of every 10 mortgage applications that turn out to be deceitful are submitted by mortgage brokers rather than borrowers, according to a data base. Page 8 TECHNOLOGY Certco, a Bankers Trust venture capital start-up, outmaneuvered more established companies to win an important digital certification assignment from MasterCard and Visa. Page 10 INVESTMENT PRODUCTS International funds led bank equity funds in performance in the first quarter, with the top 10 averaging a 10.81% return. Page 13 THE BATTLE FOR GREAT WESTERN Great Western wants June 13 to be the day of reckoning for determining its future owner, but H.F. Ahmanson is fighting for more time. Page 30 California bank executives and thrift leaders are of two minds about the battle for Great Western Financial. Some are following the contest with interest; others think it's a nonevent. Page 6 CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs CARD FRONTIERS: Certicom broadened the horizons for its elliptic curve security technology through a partnership agreement with Motorola. Page 21 MARKET MONITOR In the depressed subprime auto finance market, Wall Street has found two stocks worth buying: Americredit and Consumer Portfolio Services. Page 30