Today's News

WASHINGTON

LEGISLATION introduced in the House would prevent the President from firing board members at the FDIC and NCUA without cause. Page 2

REGIONAL BANKING

U.S. BANCORP, the latest bank company to adopt a line-of-business structure, plans to consolidate its state charters and centralize retail operations under one executive. Page 3

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

BELIEVING THEY have hit a roadblock in banks, executives at mutual fund company Keystone Investments are focusing their marketing efforts on independent financial planners. Page 5

BANKERS PENSION Services has agreed to abide by a cease-and-desist order by the SEC, which said the company was operating as an unregistered broker- dealer. Page 5

CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs

CARD FRONTIERS: Reloadable smart cards are now available to Jacksonville Jaguar fans for purchases at the football stadium. Page 10

FORMER GEMPLUS smart card executive Dan A. Cunningham has joined Phoenix Planning and Evaluation. Mr. Cunningham is senior vice president of business development for the consulting firm, which has worked on several government programs that use advanced card functions and technologies. Page 10

COMMUNITY BANKING

INDEPENDENT Bankers' Bank in Illinois is getting into the long-distance phone business, putting itself in direct competition with the state's community bank trade group. Page 6

MANAGING a super community bank requires decentralizing decision-making while maintaining controls and building entrepreneurial spirit, Anat Bird writes. Page 7

MORTGAGES

HOMESIDE LENDING, as a key part of its telemarketing drive, is using an electronic program that delivers customized credit reports in as little as 30 seconds. Page 8

THE FED'S monetary policy committee met to decide the fate of short-term interest rates. Page 8

TECHNOLOGY

CHASE MANHATTAN and Ameritech will jointly offer an electronic bill payment service that could increase the bank's automated clearing house originations by 100 million transactions. Page 12

MANY BANKS are testing the client/server waters by using hybrid systems that employ elements of both PCs and mainframe computer architectures. Page 12

FINANCE

AFTER CHASE snagged a co-head of mergers and acquisitions at Salomon Brothers to lead its own growing advisory effort, Salomon returned the favor, luring an elite leveraged lending specialist from Chase. Page 20

IN AN ACTION that some analysts said is overdue, Moody's placed the ratings of NationsBank and its banking subsidiaries under review for possible upgrades. Page 20

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