Today's News

MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES New Jersey's Summit Bancorp is growing fast, but president Robert Cox is committed to maintaining small-bank-style relations with its customers to keep them in the fold--and cross-sell to them. Know-your-customer classes and research can be revelations, he says. "People say things like, 'My goodness, I never knew this person had this kind of money!' " Pullout section WASHINGTON An experimental technique for setting capital requirements to cover swings in securities prices cleared its first hurdle. Page 3 TECHNOLOGY Cybercash is teaming up with Online Resources to offer an Internet payment service. Page 4 COMMUNITY BANKING Loan problems are deepening at Chicago's Corus Bankshares. Page 10 A Philadelphia bank that nearly failed is making a comeback under a frugal president. Page 10 SMALL BUSINESS W.T. MEARS of Peninsula Bank in Ocean City, Md., prowls the resort's boardwalk for customers this time of year. "We have 100 days to make our living," he says. "You're always taught that bankers don't lend to hotels, restaurants, bars, or gas stations, but that's not true here." Page 12 MORTGAGES HomeSide is now being touted by three Wall Street analysts. Page 15 Ford's home equity lending operation is shuffl- ing its executive lineup as part of what it calls a new growth plan. Page 15 INVESTMENT PRODUCTS A BankAmerica mutual fund veteran is taking on a new challenge at North American Trust. Page 16 CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs EMX, which markets medical identification cards in New York, wants to add functions and take the cards national. Page 18 Deluxe Data Systems is changing the way it does its electronic benefits transfer business. Page 18 CORPORATE FINANCE BankAmerica launched an $850 million syndicated loan backing Southern Co.'s acquisition of controlling interest in Consolidated Electric Power Asia. Page 23 MARKET MONITOR After a prolonged reluctance to short-sell bank stocks, traders may be returning to the market, expecting banks to retreat from their peak performance. Page 25 The boom in consumer finance stocks is out of step with the economy and the borrowing cycle, an analyst says. Page 25