In Brief: Eastern Bank of Mass. Buying Fleet Offices

Eastern Bank Corp. has agreed to buy four Massachusetts branches from Fleet Financial Group, in a deal stemming from the divestiture of banking offices in connection with Fleet's merger with Bank Boston Corp.

Eastern, which will operate a total of 47 offices after the acquisition is complete, is a $2.7 billion-asset mutual bank holding company. It is the second financial institution to announce a deal under the divestiture plan, which calls for Fleet to shed 306 branches in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Sovereign Bancorp, Wyomissing, Pa., recently announced a deal to buy 278 of the branches.