Today's News

WASHINGTON

Responding to industry complaints, the federal government issued an anti-laundering rule designed to reduce paperwork for banks. Page 2

COMMUNITY

Columnist Paul Nadler wants to know about the special things that small- town banks are doing to serve their communities. Page 6

CARDS

For the top card issuers, receivables growth has slowed down for the second year in a row. An American Banker survey of the 50 largest issuers of cards through banks found receivables grew only 6% in the 12 months through March. Page 8

MORTGAGE TECHNOLOGY

An Internet-only mortgage company plans a new button for its Web site in an effort to hang on to people applying for mortgages on-line. Page 12

TECHNOLOGY

Citicorp's planned merger with Travelers Group will not change Edward Horowitz's job - if such a thing can be said about one that is all about change. An ardent technology advocate, he has been trying to shake Citicorp and Citibank free from old banking assumptions since he arrived last year from Viacom. Page 21

MORTGAGES

The secondary market for community-reinvestment mortgages is growing as Wall Street encourages small and midsize banks to participate more actively in the capital markets. Page 13

CORPORATE FINANCE

An accounting professor at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., is rustling up venture capital for his start-up company: the College Professional Basketball League. Page 16

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

INSURANCE: As it prepares to become a publicly traded company, John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance is also laying the groundwork to increase sales through commercial banks. Page 18

DIGITAL FRONTIERS

ELECTRONIC COMMERCE: GlobeSet, one of a new breed of virtual payment system companies, looks more and more grounded in reality after a $15.5 million capital infusion. Page 20

MARKETS

FEARS OF Global meltdown among investors generated some of the widest bank bond spreads seen since the industry's dark days at the beginning of the decade. Back page

ASTORIA FINANCIAL's pending deal to buy Long Island Savings is drawing fire from a key shareholder rival bidder North Fork Bancorp. Back page

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
MORE FROM AMERICAN BANKER