Today's News

WASHINGTON

Congress' perennial financial reform debate is stalling several key regulatory initiatives. Page 3

COMMUNITY/REGIONAL

A consumer advocacy group sued Chevy Chase Bank, claiming the Virginia thrift cheated credit card customers out of millions of dollars with a rate hike and fee increases. Page 7

First Oak Brook Bancshares of Illinois is altering its stock structure to make shares more attractive to investors and potential acquisition targets. Page 7

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

Heavy hitters from the securities world discuss issues confronting the mutual fund business. Page 8

CARDS

First Data has dissolved its information management group and moved the components to different divisions. Page 11

NATIONAL/GLOBAL

Health-care credit is tightening among lenders, and existing loans are trading at historic lows. Banks syndicated 90 loan packages worth more than $22 billion last year to health-care firms. Now a number of those borrowers are at the negotiating table after failing to meet loan terms. Page 4

The highly competitive small-business lending sector could get more cutthroat as First Union completes its integration of Money Store, lenders and analysts said. Page 4

DIGITAL FRONTIERS

First Internet Bank of Indiana hopes to stand out from the crowd with the way it processes transactions-in real time. Page 12

Intuit agreed to buy a payroll processor to strengthen its small- business product lineup. Page 12

TECHNOLOGY

At a retail best practices symposium in Orlando, many presenters described their progress in being able to separate and analyze customers by profitability. Page 13

A GartnerGroup executive is advising bankers to prepare for increasing complexity in their relationships with customers. Page 13

MARKETS

A UNIT of Cullen/Frost Bankers plans to buy a Texas insurer. Page 22

Ripples from the crisis in the subprime mortgage sector hit shares of Hibernia, as an analyst cut his rating and estimates citing the bank's exposure to bankrupt United Companies Financial. Back page