51.   The Mets made no announcement of the four-year deal because minor issues remained to be worked out, said a person familiar with the negotiations.

52.   The new Fasit structure allowed Nomura and Morgan Stanley to package the loans much sooner than traditional structures would have allowed, the person said.

53.   The news did little to sway the parties, but indeed quickened the pace of the discussions, said one person.

54.   The lobbying and consulting agreement was signed five months before Gtech won the Texas contract, said a person familiar with the agreement.

55.   The purchase added to a morale problem among CBS workers, said a person familiar with the network and its employees.

56.   The Pistons executives, said one person with knowledge of the negotiations, were strongly debating whether to take on the seven players.

57.   The San Francisco thrift is selling the branches to six different banks and thrifts, and agreements could be signed within two weeks, said the person.

58.   The SEC is simultaneously filing civil suits against the defendants, some of whom are barred brokers, the person said.

59.   The Travelers Group Inc. unit also may cut bankers on the West Coast, said a person who left the firm last week.

60.   They are called microcredits, another person said.