51.  Buckley said the banking group had a secure financial future and would stick by Allfirst.

52.  But a merger between a wholesale bank and a retail one will create a more diversified banking group.

53.  But two strong banks with different business focus merging will create an even more exciting and richer banking group.

54.  CS Holding confirmed the proposal first reported by the Zurich daily Tages-Anzeiger, but the banking group denied that Gut had issued an ultimatum to Senn.

55.  Dutch banking group ABN Amro Holding NV said Friday that it agreed to sell its Kenyan operations to Citigroup Inc. for an undisclosed sum.

56.  Earnings were at the high of analyst expectations as the banking group had already slashed its full-year forecast in September.

57.  French banking group Banque Nationale de Paris said Friday it is open to discussions with rival banks Societe Generale and Paribas, which it is attempting to buy.

58.  From the beginning of next year, UBS said these private client operations will become a separate business unit within the Swiss banking group and called UBS Paine Webber.

59.  Grupo Financiero Inverlat, a banking group, quoted Cemex sources as saying the company did not wish to jeopardize any of its subsidiaries, Notimex reported.

60.  He said these pro-active strategies adopted to address the problems at SimeSecurities will also involve some management restructuring at the senior level of the company and the banking group.