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- BUSINESS, Page 42Business NotesBANKSLooking for Security
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- Amid the sudden-death dealmaking of the past decade, the world
- of banking seemed like an island of restraint. But recently the
- industry has come down with a case of can-you-top-this fever. The
- latest combination is the largest in banking history, the merger
- of San Francisco-based BankAmerica with its smaller Los Angeles
- rival, Security Pacific. With $193 billion in assets, the enlarged
- BankAmerica will rank a close second to New York's Citicorp among
- U.S. banks.
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- The merger could eventually reap savings of $1 billion
- annually for the two institutions as they combine functions and
- reduce overhead. This may mean layoffs of up to 10,000 workers,
- or 11% of the work force, as excess branches and departments
- are closed. But the merger with the revitalized BankAmerica was a
- necessary maneuver for CEO Robert Smith's troubled Security
- Pacific, which has been weakened by bad real estate loans.
- BankAmerica will now be a force in 10 Western states, and is
- reportedly considering a bid for New England's Shawmut National
- as well.
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