Today's News

WASHINGTON

The Fed proposed to clarify what types of bank-issued cards qualify as credit cards. Page 2

REGIONAL

National City has emerged largely unscathed from the rapid integration of two recent acquisitions, chairman David A. Daberko says. Page 3

COMMUNITY

A pair of Michigan banks-Republic and D&N Financial-say they will merge to form the state's fourth-largest banking company. Page 5

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

The stock market may have soared once again, but some banks' retail brokerages are reporting that clients are cool to equity mutual funds. Page 8

Washington Mutual's investments unit will undergo an acquisition- inspired makeover for the second time in about a year as it absorbs the brokerage unit of H.F. Ahmanson on Jan. 1. Page 8

CARDS

The federal government may be notorious for its glacial pace of change, but in commercial charge cards Uncle Sam is considered an early adopter. Five big banks have issued cards to two million federal workers under a General Services Administration program. Page 13

MORTGAGES

Lending to minority group members has recently moved to center stage in the mortgage industry-and so have the perennial questions about the fairness of credit scoring. Page 12

DIGITAL FRONTIERS

ON-LINE BANKING: The chairman and CEO of Home Financial Network is looking toward some new-generation technologies to do more to win over the consumer. Page 15

CORPORATE FINANCE

First Maryland Bancorp is bucking a trend. It is selling its underwriting unit just as other commercial banks scurry to buy securities firms. Page 29

MARKETS

With a banking rescue in the offing in Japan, bond analysts are giving table-pounding "buy" recommendations to Japanese banks' securities. Back page

WEEKLY REPORT: INTERNATIONAL

Syndicated bank lending worldwide dropped 23% from the second quarter to the third, the Bank for International Settlements said. Page 10

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