Today's News

WASHINGTON

Though the Clinton administration still opposes some provisions, Treasury Under Secretary John D. Hawke Jr. urged the House to approve financial reform legislation this year. Page 2

REGIONAL BANKING

Bankers watched the value of their nest eggs gyrate along with stock values last week, but most took the short-term volatility in stride. Page 6

Two Midwestern regional banks - Milwaukee-based Marshall & Ilsley and Akron, Ohio-based FirstMerit - made strategic acquisitions in their home states, signaling continued interest in bank mergers despite the volatility of the stock market. Page 7

COMMUNITY BANKING

Why would a small bank team up with a big regional like Norwest? One reason, writes Paul Nadler, is to keep small-business customers who need asset-backed loans. Page 8

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

Palo Alto, Calif.-based E-Trade Group unveiled its own mutual fund supermarket. Page 11

TECHNOLOGY

Citibank has unveiled its long-awaited Internet banking service, which includes basic banking functions, as well as the ability to buy and sell securities and mutual funds. Page 12

Companies selling electronic commerce still face an uneducated, even mystified, public. So they want to take consumers to school: Internet Shopping 101.

The idea of shopping on the Internet is still new and strange to a lot of people. Educational advertising may be the best way to overcome consumers' fears. Page 12

CORPORATE FINANCE

Private equity firms are looking for more than just a good price from their lenders, a survey found. Page 14

MORTGAGES

Consolidation continues to be the watchword in the thrift industry. There were 1,852 thrifts on June 30, 6.5% fewer than a year earlier. But their assets were up 0.7%, to $1.03 trillion, according to data compiled by American Banker and Sheshunoff Information Services. Page 15

Chase Securities added a subprime mortgage expert to its roster as part of its plan to beef up its presence in non-conforming mortgage securitization. Page 15

CREDIT/DEBIT/ATMs

Maestro International, MasterCard International's on-line debit card program, named an Europay executive as its first chief executive officer. Page 23

Transaction Network Services acquired a majority equity interest in a company that gives it a foothold in Scandinavia. Page 23

MARKET MONITOR

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