1.   If consummated, the deal would combine two institutions that financed the construction of many of the sunny suburbs that blanketed Southern California after World War II.

2.   The deal combines two relatively young branches of venerable financial families.

3.   The deal would combine a Bayer unit based in Clayton, N.C., with Aventis Behring, an Aventis unit in King of Prussia, Pa.

4.   The deal will combine one of the biggest magazine publishers with an Internet portal that is the seventh-most-visited Web site.

5.   The deal combines the two largest radio operators and leaves Karmazin in charge of all Westinghouse radio, with a likely seat on the board.

6.   The deal combines the top media and Internet firms.

7.   The proposed deal would combine the two California companies into one of the biggest semiconductor companies in the United States.