[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 236 (Friday, December 6, 1996)] [Notices] [Page 64746] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-31059] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 indicated. Once the application has been accepted for processing, it will also 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, including whether the acquisition of the nonbanking company can ``reasonably be expected to produce benefits to the public, such as greater convenience, increased competition, or gains in efficiency, that outweigh possible adverse effects, such as undue concentration of resources, decreased or unfair competition, conflicts of interests, or unsound banking practices'' (12 U.S.C. 1843). Any request for a hearing must be accompanied by a statement of the reasons a written presentation would not suffice in lieu of a hearing, identifying specifically any questions of fact that are in dispute, summarizing the evidence that would be presented at a hearing, and indicating how the party commenting would be aggrieved by approval of the proposal. 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 December 31, 1996. A. Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, (Michael E. Collins, Senior Vice President) 100 North 6th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19105: 1. Commerce Bancorp, Inc., Cherry Hill, New Jersey; to acquire 100 percent of the voting shares of Independence Bancorp, Inc., Ramsey, New Jersey, and thereby indirectly acquire Independence Bank of New Jersey, Ramsey, New Jersey. B. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (Zane R. Kelley, Vice President) 104 Marietta Street, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30303: 1. Whitney Holding Corporation, New Orleans, Louisiana; to merge with First National Bankshares, Inc., Houma, Louisiana, and therby indirectly acquire First National Bank of Houma, Houma, Louisiana. C. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Randall C. Sumner, Vice President) 411 Locust Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63166: 1. New London Bancshares, Inc., New London, Missouri; to become a bank holding company by acquiring 96 percent of the voting shares of Behrens Bancshares, Inc., New London, Missouri, and thereby indirectly acquire Ralls County State Bank, New London, Missouri. 2. Union Planters Corporation, Memphis, Tennessee; to acquire at least 19.8 percent and up to 100 percent of the voting shares of First National Bank, Pontotoc, Mississippi. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, December 2, 1996. Jennifer J. Johnson, Deputy Secretary of the Board. [FR Doc. 96-31059 Filed 12-5-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6210-01-F