11.   And two bank mergers have been announced in the past two weeks, uniting lenders overwhelmed by property-connected bad loans.

12.   ANOTHER BANK MERGER SET IN MOTION Capping a week that began with the merger of Citicorp and Travelers Inc., two other financial services companies announced a merger.

13.   And two troubled lenders, Hokkaido Takushoku Bank Ltd. and Hokkaido Bank Ltd., announced a merger.

14.   Announcing a merger is only the first of many steps to making the deal happen.

15.   As Davis pointed out in February when the merger was first announced, the money and assets of the USA Network seemed too good to pass up.

16.   Australis bonds rose after the merger was announced yesterday.

17.   Auto insurers Cartel Marketing and TurboCoverage announced their merger Thursday to form ExpressLink in an effort to accelerate policy sales in California, Arizona and Nevada.

18.   BankAmerica decided to sell Robertson Stephens after announcing a merger with NationsBank Corp., which already owned a rival investment firm, Montgomery Securities.

19.   Before announcing a merger, he said, company leaders usually ensure that they have support from board members and Wall Street.