WASHINGTON
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Bank and thrift chiefs have put the speed dials on their fax machines into overdrive, lobbying lawmakers and fellow executives on major banking legislation. Page 4
A judge ruled that the New York banking regulator acted properly in approving Chase Manhattan's merger with Chemical. Page 4
Douglas E. Harris, senior deputy comptroller for capital markets, said he will leave his post June 21 but has not decided on what he will do then. Page 2
REGIONAL BANKING
Wachovia aggressively bid for new accounts in Georgia with a $100 cash- back offer on selected products. Page 6
COMMUNITY BANKING
Franklin Federal Bancorp drew interest from a dozen banks and thrifts interested in buying the Texas thrift. Page 7
Sleepy Ben Lomond, Calif., might seem a funny place for Liberty Bank, an urban business lender, to put a branch, but the bank has found cheap deposits in the area. Page 7
INVESTMENT PRODUCTS
The Investment Company Institute asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to adopt a vastly simplified mutual fund prospectus. "There's a broad acceptance by our brokers," said Debra McGinty-Poteet, a mutual fund executive at Bank of America. Page 10
MORTGAGES
Standard & Poor's found that a credit scoring test helped qualify about one-third of mortgage applicants found ineligible for loans to be sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Page 8
CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs
Money innovators are just doing what they must to move from industrial society to an information-based "third wave," says Alvin Toffler, the futurist-author of a book by that name. Page 12
TECHNOLOGY
The ABA's revamped technology conference failed to reverse a trend of falling attendance. Page 14
The newest branch of Seattle's Washington Mutual is filled not with employees but with video conferencing equipment that lets customers talk to representatives at a remote call center. Page 14
The New York Clearing House Association joined an effort to create a national data base that would help banks and merchants fight check fraud. Page 15
FINANCE
An AAA rating doesn't guarantee success for a derivatives unit, says a new Fed study, which shows the units have failed to generate the anticipated returns. Back page
