Today's News

WASHINGTON Opposition from legislatures nationwide has delayed a plan to help state- chartered banks branch across state lines. Page 2 MORTGAGES D&N Financial says lending has really taken off since it began awarding free airline miles to its home-equity borrowers. Page 6 HFS, the big hotel, realty, and auto rental company that will soon enter home lending, expects to post record first-quarter results. Page 7 REGIONAL BANKING Transamerica's plans to sell its consumer finance unit could strengthen an already strong player or move a smaller bank to the big leagues. Page 11 COMMUNITY BANKING A California hedge fund that tormented four Northeast thrift managements for more than a year has been dissolved by its founder. Page 12 To offer a full menu of financial products, bankers need to function as teams, writes Anat Bird. Page 12 TECHNOLOGY Five banks made it on ComputerWorld's Premier 100 list for taking novel approaches to their Web sites. KeyCorp's, for instance, --which has had a million hits since July --features a game that teaches visitors about the bank's offerings. What's more, says executive VP Patrick J. Swanick, "it's really fun to play." Page 9 Affinity Technology Group is expected to announce a deal that will make its automated lending technology more accessible to community banks. Page 8 INVESTMENT PRODUCTS A growing rift has divided the community of 30,000 men and women who offer advice on taxes, retirement preparation, and investments. The battle is over two words: "fee only." Page 13 First Union created a division for its 125 trust and private banking investment managers, and hired a bank investment veteran to run it. He says the unit will focus on individuals, not pension funds or 401(k)s. Page 13 CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs MasterCard will use its majority ownership of Mondex to push even harder for acceptance of the Secure Electronic Transactions protocol. Page 14 CORPORATE FINANCE CANADIAN IMPERIAL is leading a $1.6 billion syndicated bridge loan for a merger that would create the world's largest newsprint producer. Page 22