WASHINGTON
Regulators warned bank directors and officers that they could be personally liable if their institutions are not ready for the year-2000 computer bug. Page 2
COMMUNITY
To avoid losing a down-home feel, small banks should pack their Web sites with community news and event information, a marketing expert says. Page 7
INVESTMENT PRODUCTS
The new president and chief executive of PrimeVest Financial Services has a mission: 1,001 banks by 2001. Page 10
INSURANCE: Hartford Financial Services has seta sort of home-run record, becoming the first underwriter to sell more than $1 billion of annuities through banks in a single quarter. Page 11
REGIONAL
Less than a week after telling his shareholders last spring that Firstar intended to remain independent, chairman Roger F. Fitzsimonds got a call from Star Banc and began talks that led to a deal July 1. Page 6
City National of California is fine-tuning its branch system to make it more attractive to business clients and wealthy customers. "We are not trying to grow simply for the sake of growth," said vice chairman and chief executive officer Russell Goldsmith. "Net, we're growing, but also we're trading up." Page 6
CARDS
NYCE will inaugurate a service in Massachusetts next week designed to make it easy for member financial institutions to join a surcharge-free alliance. Page 13
Banc One Corp. is taking a well-worn path to international card issuing: through English-speakingcountries. Page 13
DIGITAL FRONTIERS
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE: To educate legislators and the public on advanced identification methods based on physical characteristics, four manufacturers of biometrics have formed a trade association. Page 14
Microsoft has turned over another of itselectronic commerce cards, this time with Diversinet, a Toronto-based data encryption vendor. Page 14
TECHNOLOGY
Internet banking initiatives are getting more respect from bank technology budgeters but perhaps not enough attention from strategic planners, asurvey found. Page 15
MARKETS
Fifth Third Bancorp agreed to buy Enterprise Federal Bancorp of West Chester, Ohio, for about $96 million in stock. Page 26
An early market rally in bank stocks ran out of steam as anxious investors awaited a possible Federal Reserve interest rate cut today. Back page