[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 94 (Friday, May 15, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27085-27086]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-13033]


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FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM


Formations of, Acquisitions by, and Mergers of Bank Holding 
Companies

    The companies listed in this notice have applied to the Board for 
approval, pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 
1841 et seq.) (BHC Act), Regulation Y (12 CFR Part 225), and all other 
applicable statutes and regulations to become a bank holding company 
and/or to acquire the assets or the ownership of, control of, or the 
power to vote shares of a bank or bank holding company and all of the 
banks and nonbanking companies owned by the bank holding company, 
including the companies listed below.
    The applications listed below, as well as other related filings 
required by the Board, are available for immediate inspection at the 
Federal Reserve Bank

[[Page 27086]]

indicated. The application also will be available for inspection at the 
offices of the Board of Governors. Interested persons may express their 
views in writing on the standards enumerated in the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 
1842(c)). If the proposal also involves the acquisition of a nonbanking 
company, the review also includes whether the acquisition of the 
nonbanking company complies with the standards in section 4 of the BHC 
Act. Unless otherwise noted, nonbanking activities will be conducted 
throughout the United States.
    Unless otherwise noted, comments regarding each of these 
applications must be received at the Reserve Bank indicated or the 
offices of the Board of Governors not later than June 11, 1998.
    A. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (Richard Walker, Community 
Affairs Officer) 600 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02106-2204:
    1. Salisbury Bancorp, Inc., Lakeville, Connecticut; to become a 
bank holding company by acquiring 100 percent of the voting shares of 
Salisbury Bank and Trust Company, Lakeville, Connecticut.
    B. Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Betsy Buttrill White, Senior 
Vice President) 33 Liberty Street, New York, New York 10045-0001:
    1. Travelers Group Inc., New York, New York (Travelers), to become 
a bank holding company by acquiring Citicorp, New York, New York, and 
thereby indirectly acquiring Citibank, N.A., New York, New York; 
Universal Bank, N.A., Columbus, Georgia; Citibank (New York State), 
Perinton, New York; Citicorp Holdings, Inc., New Castle, Delaware; 
Citibank Delaware, New Castle, Delaware; Citibank (Nevada), N.A., Las 
Vegas, Nevada; and Citibank (South Dakota), N.A., Sioux Falls, South 
Dakota. Upon consummation of the proposed transaction, Travelers would 
be renamed Citigroup Inc.. Travelers also may form one or more 
intermediate bank holding companies.
    In connection with the proposed transaction, Travelers also has 
provided notice to acquire all of the nonbank subsidiaries of Citicorp 
and to engage, directly or indirectly through the nonbank subsidiaries 
of Travelers and Citicorp, in a variety of nonbanking activities that 
have been previously determined to be permissible for bank holding 
companies. These nonbanking activities and companies are described in 
the notice filed with the Board. They include the following: operating 
savings associations through Citibank, Federal Savings Bank, San 
Francisco, California, and Travelers Bank & Trust, F.S.B., Newark, 
Delaware, pursuant to Sec.  225.28(b)(4)(iii) of Regulation Y; 
operating industrial loan companies through Universal Financial Corp., 
Salt Lake City, Utah, and Commercial Credit Corporation (Hawaii), 
Honolulu, Hawaii, pursuant to Sec.  225.28(b)(4)(i) of Regulation Y; 
and engaging in lending activities through The Travelers Bank USA, 
Newark, Delaware, pursuant to Sec.  225.28(b)(1) of Regulation Y. In 
addition, Travelers proposes to engage, directly or indirectly through 
any of its nonbank subsidiaries, in each of the other activities 
authorized for bank holding companies under 12 CFR 225.28(b), other 
than certain very limited exceptions, and in all activities that 
Citicorp currently is authorized by Board Order to conduct. Travelers 
also proposes to engage through Citicorp Securities, Inc., New York, 
New York, Salomon Brothers Inc., New York, New York, Smith Barney Inc., 
New York, New York, and The Robinson-Humphrey Company LLC, Atlanta, 
Georgia, in a limited amount of underwriting and dealing in all types 
of debt and equity securities (other than ownership interests in open-
end investment companies), in accordance with previous Board decisions. 
In addition, Travelers proposes to engage, directly or indirectly 
through its subsidiaries, in certain other activities that the Board 
previously has approved by Order, including providing administrative 
services to open-end and closed-end investment companies, acting as a 
commodity pool operator, providing real estate title abstracting 
services, providing credit card authorization and lost or stolen credit 
card reporting services, transmitting money for U.S. customers to third 
parties located in foreign countries, issuing and selling drafts and 
wire transfers payable in foreign currencies, and cashing U.S. dollar 
payroll checks drawn on unaffiliated banks.
    Travelers currently engages in and controls companies that engage 
in activities, or hold investments, that are not authorized for bank 
holding companies under section 4 of the BHC Act. These activities 
include certain insurance underwriting activities, insurance agency 
activities, commodities activities, investment activities, and other 
activities more fully described in the notice. Travelers proposes to 
conform each of these activities and investments to the requirements of 
the BHC Act, including by divestiture or by termination of such 
activities, within two years of becoming a bank holding company, or 
such longer period as the Board may grant, in accordance with the 
limitations and requirements of section 4(a)(2) of the BHC Act. Prior 
to consummation of the proposed transaction, Travelers proposes to 
cease sponsoring, organizing, or distributing shares of any open-end 
investment company. Comments regarding this application must be 
received not later than June 16, 1998.
    C. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Randall C. Sumner, Vice 
President) 411 Locust Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63102-2034:
    1. Great Southern Bancorp, Inc., Springfield, Missouri; to become a 
bank holding company by acquiring 100 percent of the voting shares of 
Great Southern Bank, Springfield, Missouri. Great Southern Bank 
currently operates as Great Southern Bank, F.S.B.
    In connection with this application, Applicant also has applied to 
acquire Great Southern Capital Management, Inc., Springfield, Missouri, 
and thereby engage in the activity of providing discount securities 
brokerage services and related investment advisory services, pursuant 
to Sec.  225.28(b)(7)(i) of the Board's Regulation Y.
    D. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (Karen L. Grandstrand, Vice 
President) 90 Hennepin Avenue, P.O. Box 291, Minneapolis, Minnesota 
55480-0291:
    1. First National Bank at St. James ESOP, St. James, Minnesota; to 
acquire an additional 1.64 percent, for a total of 24.23 percent, of 
the voting shares of First National Agency at St. James, St. James, 
Minnesota, and thereby indirectly acquire First National Bank at St. 
James, St. James, Minnesota.
    2. Freedom Bancshares, Inc., La Crosse, Wisconsin; to become a bank 
holding company by acquiring at least 80 percent of the voting shares 
of Park Bank, Holmen, Wisconsin.

    Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, May 12, 1998.
Jennifer J. Johnson,
Deputy Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 98-13033 Filed 5-14-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6210-01-F