Today's News

WASHINGTON

Supporters of Federal Home Loan Bank reform reached a compromise with the Senate Banking Committee chairman and other opponents, significantly improving the bill's chances of enactment this year. Page 2

REGIONAL

NationsBank's automobile finance unit has agreed to refer subprime loan applicants to Houston-based First Investors Financial Services. Page 8

COMMUNITY

The president of the ABA is urging community bankers to open their wallets to keep up the fight against credit unions and financial modernization. Page 13

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

Unionbancal is looking at a number of ways to increase the size of its Highmark Funds family. Page 15

CARDS

A consumer group blasted the aggressive marketing practices of credit card issuers and urged Congress to punish those that permit customers to become deeply indebted. Page 16

MARKETS

Conseco CEO Stephen Hilbert sought to reassure investors that the worst is over now that his company has taken a half-billion-dollar writedown in connection with the purchase of Green Tree Financial. The "surprises ... are going to be on the positive side, not the negative one,"he said. Page 30

DIGITAL FRONTIERS

ON-LINE BANKING: The concept of outsourcing Internet banking operations just gained two giant advocates in Citicorp and NationsBank. Page 18

TECHNOLOGY

The National Automated Clearing House Association declared success in its test of converting checks into electronic debits at retail points of sale and is creating rules to support the activity more widely. Page 19

MORTGAGES

The mortgage subsidiary of First Commercial Bank in Little Rock bought a $1.2 billion servicing package from another Arkansas bank, Simmons First National Bank. Page 20

CORPORATE FINANCE

J.P. Morgan has restructured a problematic$2.25 billion loan for Meditrust in an effort to sew up the deal by next week. Page 29

WEEKLY REPORT: INTERNATIONAL

Actions by New York State and New York City could soon put a crimp in the activities of Swiss banks in the United States, banking analysts say. Page 14

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