Unlikely Legends

BRUCE PETERSON, chief executive officer of State Bank of Cokato, Minn., traded places with an elderly woman taken hostage during a bank robbery on Aug. 16. Mr. Peterson offered his station wagon as a getaway car, then escaped at a traffic life. DIAMOND TOOL & FASTENERS, an industrial supply company, saved the day on Saturday, June 1 by rescuing a 3-year-old-boy from a vault at Midland Bank in Philadelphia. The time lock was set to open Monday morning, with only enough oxygen to last seven hours. A bank manager had unknowingly locked the vault after the child had wandered inside.

M. ELIZABETH BRODERICK - known as the Lien Queen - was indicted on charges of mail fraud, counterfeiting, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy. She earned her nickname by instructing borrowers to file liens against judges who attempt to foreclose on their homes.

MARK SUTKO, president and chief executive officer of Platte Valley State Bank and Trust Co., Neb., displayed blizzard bravura in February when he plowed through the snow to the bank's various branches, picking up stranded employees and delivering them to their homes. He invited five employees to spend the night in his home.

ROBERT SVOBODA, a retired banker, startled the industry by proposing a Swiss-style bank in Montana. He convinced state officials to take a serious look at the plan for a bank with numbered accounts.

RONALD JONES came up with an intriguing way to compete with superregionals - start a bank without any bankers. The Idaho farmer and 11 others with no banking experience mapped out plans for Magic Valley Bank, which they hope to open by yearend.

LINDA'S FLAME ROASTED CHICKEN, a northeastern restaurant franchise headquartered in Cranford, N.J., offered a new twist on nonbank competition. The company bit into the mortgage lending business by hatching a new subsidiary, National Home Guaranty, last May.

KELLY S. SEGARS SR., of Iuka, Miss., continued to live a dual life as First American National Bank's president and as a geriatric specialist in his family medical practice. The 66-year-old, who chartered the bank in 1964 with a group of investors, plans to continue his rigorous duties for another 30 years. - Compiled by Sarah Yavorsky

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