Today's News

VIEW FROM NO. 2: "You've got two primary competitors" in the card processing industry, says Richard W. Ussery, chairman and CEO of Total System Services. "The thing that's nice is, we see ourselves winning more often than losing." Page 8

WASHINGTON

With the House scheduled to vote on financial reform legislation Thursday, the main stumbling block continues to be where new bank activities would be housed. Page 2

REGIONAL

Project managers and systems analysts qualified to tackle the year-2000 problem are hot properties in corporate America. Page 4

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

INSURANCE: Fifth Third Bancorp, Cincinnati, is teaming up with Golden Rule Insurance to sell medical savings accounts to small-business owners and self-employed people. Page 7

COMMUNITY

The ABA endorsed a product designed to help community banks sort out which customers make them money. Page 10

DIGITAL FRONTIERS

ELECTRONIC COMMERCE: Three of the biggest names in information technology joined with two relative minnows in launching an initiative to set standards in biometric security. Page 11

TECHNOLOGY

On one matter of payment system security-the SET protocol-American Express, MasterCard, and Visa are of one mind. Page 13

CORPORATE FINANCE

Despite stresses within the U.S. health-care industry, bankers are stepping up lending, merger advisory, and other services for the sector. Page 14

MORTGAGES

To create a vehicle to help finance loans for low-income borrowers, Goldman Sachs has joined the ranks of nonbanks trying to charter a federal thrift. Page 17

MARKETS

Chase, Lehman Brothers, and Merrill Lynch are beginning the general syndication of a whopping $10.9 billion loan for Texas Utilities. Back page

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