Today's News

WASHINGTON

SENATE BANKING Chairman Phil Gramm said privacy protections may be a necessary part of the financial reform bill. Page 2

THE HOMELOAN banks' regulator said it is giving the 12 banks more leeway in partnering with financial institutions to originate and securitize mortgages. Page 2

NATIONAL/GLOBAL

YEAR-2000 CONTRACTORS may be the answer for banks looking for skilled employees to run their computer systems, recruiters say. Page 4

KEYCORP CHAIRMAN and chief executive officer Robert Gillespie exhorted bankers to take a bigger interest in public policy matters. Page 6

COMMUNITY/REGIONAL

FANCY JOB TITLES mean nothing if the bank employee does not have the authority to do the job, columnist Paul Nadler writes. Page 7

SPECIAL REPORT

BANKS have surpassed $1 trillion of fund assets under management, or one of every six dollars. They also distinguished themselves as investment product distributors with their dedication to customer service and technology focus.

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INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

INSURANCE: Sallie Mae is offering insurance products to its 5 million customers through an arrangement with a California marketer. Page 8

MORTGAGES

WALL STREET is giving investors the green light to buy mortgage-backed securities. Page 13

ON-LINE BANKING

CASTING THE INTERNET is far more complex than most banks recognize, said Joseph Sponholz, vice chairman of Chase. He urged bankers to get a better grip on how to exploit it. Page 16

TECHNOLOGY

CITIGROUP is consolidating much of its European payment processing operations into a single center in Dublin. Page 20

CARDS

DISCOVER has quietly launched 10 affinity credit cards since August, targeting consumers in certain professional or special-interest categories. Page 22

MARKETS