Today's News

SPECIAL REPORT: KIDS AT WORK The grown-up world of banking was opened to kids last Thursday for the fifth annual "Take Our Daughters to Work Day." Financial services companies nationwide welcomed thousands of girls and boys to teach them about careers and finance. Pullout section WASHINGTON Many say the banking industry has only itself to blame for the fact that a banker will fill neither of two openings on the Federal Reserve Board. Page 3 CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs The Air Travel Association added National Westminster Bank of London and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to its cobranded corporate card program. Page 7 CORPORATE FINANCE The head of BankAmerica's high-yield trading operation has left. Page 27 MORTGAGES THE CONDUIT that Countrywide set up plans to adopt a wholly non-Countrywide name. Page 28 REGIONAL BANKING Reorganizations meant huge jumps in deposits and assets for some of the top U.S. commercial banks last year. Page 13 INVESTMENT PRODUCTS A former retail broker and analyst accuses Wells Fargo of stealing his idea for mutual funds that become more conservative as the investor ages. John C. Boyle's suit seeks annual licensing fees on a fund family that now manages $590 million of assets. Page 31 TECHNOLOGY A payment systems pioneer says he still has his fingers crossed about a checkless society. Page 33 COMMUNITY BANKING First Bank System shareholders heard a softer side of their tough-minded chief executive officer, discussing the bank's efforts to help customers and employees devastated by the flooding of North Dakota's Red River. Page 35 MARKET MONITOR The bloom is off the rose for stocks of companies that lend to customers with credit problems--at least as far as investors are concerned. Page 41 WEEKLY REPORT: SMALL BUSINESS BankAmerica is sponsoring an essay contest for the California small- business customer who can best describe why the bank should fork over $25,000. Page 9