Today's News

WASHINGTON

President Clinton said the United States must take more aggressive steps to contain the global economic crisis. He prescribed a plan that includes full funding for and expansion of the IMF. Page 2

REGIONAL

Banc One and First Chicago NBD officiallycompleted their merger, creating a new company called Bank One Corp. Page 5

COMMUNITY

A lender-liability lawsuit is threatening to derail a $100 million merger of two Los Angeles-area banks. Page 8

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

Sales of equity mutual funds at banks havefallen off sharply in recent weeks. Page 9

CORPORATE FINANCE

Commercial banks maintained a steady share of the high-yield bond market in the third quarter, despite a major decline in issuance. Page 15

MORTGAGES

The embattled subprime lending business took another blow as Southern Pacific Funding, once a rising star, abruptly filed for bankruptcy. The move climaxed a week in which the company's top officials departed, its debt was downgraded, and its stock fell below $1 a share. Page 16

CARDS

Federal regulators and other privacy watchdogs are increasingly worried about privacy andsecurity risks as consumers gain on-line access to their credit information files. Page 11

TECHNOLOGY

A profit alert from Harbinger, a provider ofpayment software and electronic data interchangeservices, triggered a steep decline in its stock. Page 13

MARKET MONITOR

The surprisingly steep drop in September job growth signals to economists that the nation's epicbusiness boom is finally flagging-and that interest rates will drop significantly. Page 28

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