Today's News

WASHINGTON

THE NCUA will continue to allow occupation-based credit unions to expand by accepting members from unrelated companies, despite a recent court decision. Page 3

AS REGULATORS work to streamline their rules, they're also taking a crack at that bane of bankers' existence - the quarterly call report. Page 3

REGIONAL BANKING

FIRST UNION's revelation that its credit card loss rates will remain unexpectedly high has renewed analysts' worries about the health of bank card portfolios. Page 4

COMMUNITY BANKING

THE FEDERAL Reserve Bank of Minneapolis predicts that community banks in the upper Midwest will ride the wave of technology into the next century. Page 6

NORTH FORK on Long Island has sold most of its 5% stake in a Queens thrift after being stonewalled for two months in its efforts to open merger talks. Page 6

CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs

INSTEAD of cashing loan checks, students on 31 college campuses will pull out a credit card to pay for school costs as they arise. Collin McKenny, senior vice president of card services at Star Banc, said the CollegeCard is "underwritten in the same way as student loans by Southwest (Student Services), so it's not a risk to the bank." Page 10

AMERICAN EXPRESS is the latest card services company to embrace the trend toward employee incentive awards. Page 11

MORTGAGES

NORWEST MORTGAGE, which seeks to become a dominant player in subprime lending, has tapped an executive with no direct subprime experience to head that division. Page 9

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

BREAKING WITH tradition, Wilmington Trust Corp. is turning to investment bankers and brokers for leads in the wealthy-client market. Page 12

MUTUAL FUND investors overwhelmingly prefer making their purchases through financial advisers, according to a survey. Page 13

COMPLIANCE

WITH MORE mortgage applications than ever being taken over the phone, Huntington Bancshares is asking applicants their race and gender to ensure its lending data are accurate. Page 14

OFFICIALS at a tiny Pasadena, Calif., compliance consulting firm are hoping to snare customers with a World Wide Web site. Page 15

TECHNOLOGY

A SOFTWARE program tracks visits to World Wide Web sites and can help banks tailor their on-line offerings to individuals and their preferences. Page 18

CHECKFREE will offer automated clearing house transaction processing to financial institutions. Page 19

FINANCE

NORWEST has tapped a regional banking rival, Nationbank, to bring a $200 million issue of medium term notes to market, making a growing trend as the industry makes further inroads in investment banking. Page 24

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