In Brief: $10M Payday for Thrift Turnaround Artist

James M. Large Jr. continues to be rewarded for his turnaround of moribund Anchor Bancorp. and its subsequent merger with Dime Bancorp.

Mr. Large, who holds the title of chairman emeritus at Dime, recently received $9.8 million for 302,000 of his shares, according to a regulatory filing released on Thursday.

Mr. Large brought Anchor back from the brink in the early 1990s, when its stock was trading for pennies a share and it appeared in danger of a government seizure. The thrift sold to Dime in 1995.

In another large stock transaction involving insiders, three top executives with MBNA Corp. received $10 million among them after exercising options.

President Charles Cawley sold 104,520 shares for $3.9 million, chief financial officer M. Scot Kaufman sold 90,000 shares for 3,375,000, and vice chairman David W. Nelms, sold 74,450 shares for $2,791,688, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings released Thursday.

A spokesman for MBNA said the cashed-in options represented "a very small portion" of their stock interests.

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