REGIONAL BANKING:
AMSOUTH COST CUTTER C. Dowd Ritter will take over as chief executive Jan. 1, the Alabama-based bank confirmed. It's "the next logical step," says retiring CEO John Woods, who's had the job since 1972. Next summer Mr. Ritter will also succeed him as chairman.
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FIRST BANK SYSTEM says Wells Fargo has greatly underestimated the divestitures needed for regulators to let it buy First Interstate. Page 5
WASHINGTON:
THE SENATE CONFIRMED Joseph H. Neely as a member of the FDIC board, bringing it to full strength for the first time since 1992. The vote capped a six-month ordeal for the former Mississippi banking chief,
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IN A DECISION that could affect all publicly held banks, a judge has ruled that a financial institution must warn investors of loan troubles even if its overall financial health is good.
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COMMUNITY BANKING:
IT LOOKS LIKE NationsBank will be growing again - but this time against its wishes. The Georgia Supreme Court upheld an order that it go through with its deal to buy First Federal Savings of Brunswick, Ga.
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WEST DES MOINES State Bank aims to parlay the relationships it has developed with rural Iowa banks into a formal correspondent banking business. Page 6
INVESTMENT PRODUCTS:
TRACY GARY says she's "the Dr. Ruth of Money," because she encourages women to ask questions about it. Since 1982 the heiress has run Resourceful Women, a support and educational organization for female investors.
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PETER J. SUCCOSO, former president of the Bank Securities Association, has quit his job as mutual fund chief at Wilmington Trust amid a reorganization of investment management operations. The old-line company has been moving aggressively into money management.
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CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs:
CHEMICAL has won a $2,000 ATM case against New York's Emigrant Savings - in small claims court.
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TECHNOLOGY:
TEN OF THE TOP 25 U.S. banks are in the midst of projects to install new retail branch automation systems, according to a study.
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FINANCE:
J.P. MORGAN STOCK was downgraded by Brown Brothers Harriman to "hold" from "buy." Analyst Raphael Soifer cut his earnings projections, saying his previous one for next year was "wishful thinking."
Back page
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS must do better at convincing analysts that they have adequate control over their capital market risks, according to a KPMG Peat Marwick study. Back page
MORTGAGES:
FANNIE MAE held a tight grip on the securitization business of the nation's largest lenders this year, grabbing most of the business of Countrywide Funding, Norwest Mortgage, Fleet Mortgage Group, and others.
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AFTER YEARS of focusing on conventional loans, Fleet is making home equity and subprime mortgage loans priorities. Page 8
