WASHINGTON
Depository institutions are blasting a Federal Reserve Board plan that would force them to clear out-of-town checks faster. Page 2
Sen. gramm received an unsolicited house call from activists protesting provisions of his financial modernization bill that would scale back the CRA. Page 2
NATIONAL/GLOBAL
BankAmerica merged its computer systems, rolled out its unified consumer products, and launched its new logo in Texas and New Mexico. Page 5
Hibernia, hit by two big credit problems, posted a 28% drop in first- quarter profits. BB&T's earnings jumped 15% and Marshall & Ilsley's 13%. Page 5
COMMUNITY/REGIONAL
Silicon Valley Bancshares, which specializes in lending to technology start-ups, is creating a Web site to get its customers out of the garage, into a small office building, and perhaps one day to Wall Street. Page 8
DIGITAL FRONTIERS
The chairman and chief executive of Sun laid an aggressive dose of Silicon Valley thinking on bankers attending the Payments '99 conference in Atlanta. "Your primary business is being a portal, not being a provider of financial services," Scott McNealy said. Page 12
MORTGAGES
Bankers Trust denied it has severed its ties with Delta Financial, a longtime client that has been accused of predatory lending. Page 9
INVESTMENT PRODUCTS
INSURANCE: A sales company started by a high-profile executive is aiming to become a major player in the affluent and corporate insurance markets. Page 10
Sixty years after selling its first SBLI policy, Dime Savings of New York is bolstering its role in the business by creating a stand-alone insurance unit. Page 11
TECHNOLOGY
The globally prominent banks that formed a joint venture last fall in electronic commerce security have incorporated under the name Identrus. Page 15
CARDS
Visa is turning up the volume in support of a business case for smart cards. Page 16
MARKETS
Keefe Managers, a money management firm that specializes in bank stocks, named a banking expert and turnaround specialist as president. Page 26
National City's stock rose after it disclosed plans to double its authorized shares. Back page