Today's News

NATIONAL/GLOBAL

Pacific Century Financial is struggling to bolster employee morale during its companywide cost-cutting project, executives said. Page 5

COMMUNITY/REGIONAL

With the blessing of the state's commercial banks, California lawmakers once again are mulling a bill that would create a state savings bank charter. Page 7

The number of banks reporting serious losses is on the rise, a bank rating agency warned in a report based on fourth-quarter data. Page 7

MORTGAGES

BankAmerica created the nation's largest mortgage company by merging the mortgage units of NationsBank and BankAmerica. Page 8

WASHINGTON

The FDIC performed nearly 10% fewer safety-and-soundness exams than it was required to do in 1998. Page 2

Six months ago, the Treasury Department and Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes, the Banking Committee's top Democrat, were engaged in a tense standoff on financial reform legislation. But since Sen. Phil Gramm took over as chairman of the Banking Committee, there has been a sudden detente. Page 4

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

Bank investment programs are rolling out more on-line services and emphasizing personalized advice as they struggle to keep cut-rate on-line brokerages from stealing their customers. Page 10

SunTrust Banks nearly doubled its broker sales force through its recent acquisition of Crestar Financial Group. Page 11

CARDS

Nearly all banks are imposing surcharges at ATMs, and many are raising them, a survey found. Page 12

DIGITAL FRONTIERS

Chase has become the latest institution to join Lending Tree, a fast- growing Internet-based loan service. Page 14

TECHNOLOGY

A planned secondary stock offering has helped lift Telebanc Financial shares 17%. Page 15

MARKET MONITOR

The strength and direction of the U.S. economy may depend increasingly this year on Japan, which remains mired in recession. Page 25

Banks have much to gain from buying asset management firms, but have lagged as successful acquirers, an investment banker said. Page 25