Heard on the Street

SIGN UP. The financial institution formerly known as Boatmen's Bank is changing its signs again. On Aug. 2 the area's NationsBank locations will sport new Bank of America signs. NationsBank and Bank of America announced in April 1998 their intentions to merge, and the engagement became legal in October. Now, the marriage is being consummated in this area with the unveiling of Bank of America signs, part of a rolling changeover of more than 45,000 signs throughout the country, a switch the company said is the biggest ever. "Except for operating under our striking new logo, it's really business as usual for our customers," said Steve Burch, region executive for Bank of America in southwest Missouri. NationsBank checks, ATM and credit cards are still valid, and accounts and services will remain the same, Burch said in a release. The new Bank of America signs go up after a little more than two years of NationsBank signs, unveiled here July 14, 1997.

ONWARD AND UPWARD. State Bank of Southwest Missouri has been rated "one of the best" among the nation's banks and thrifts by Sheshunoff Information Services. The service rated banks based on data for the period ending Dec. 31, 1998. "We look forward to providing even better services for our customers in 1999," said W. Thomas Fowler Jr., president of State Bank of Southwest Missouri.

ONLINE QUOTES. BPJ Insurance has joined a network of 74 independent insurance agencies in 28 states to offer insurance services online. Auto insurance rate quotes and the ability to submit some application information to BPJ is available at

www.insurancemarket.com

on Intuit's Quicken InsureMarket Web site. A release from BPJ said more than 50 insurance companies are surveyed for quotes.

EMPIRE. Empire District Electric Company July 22 reported earnings of $1.28 per share for the 12 months that ended June 30. The Joplin-based utility had revenues of $240.3 million for the 12-month period, with net income of $24.3 million. Those figures compare to revenue of $229.7 million and net income of $27.6 million for the 12 months that ended June 30, 1998. Charges of $3.1 million related to a proposed merger with UtiliCorp United Inc. resulted in a 2-cent loss per share for the second quarter. The company also announced a stockholder meeting Sept. 3 to vote on the proposed merger. The meeting is set for 10 a.m. at the Holiday Inn of Joplin. A company release said the quarter's revenues of $53.3 million were diminished by unusually mild temperatures in May and June.

GENERATION NEWS. Mild temperatures have not been in evidence of late, resulting in record electricity generation by City Utilities. Springfield's municipal utility reported record peak electric use the week of July 26. At 4 p.m. July 27 CU generated 691 megawatts of power, breaking the record set the day before. The previous record, set in July 1998, was 665 megawatts. The heat and recent dry spell also resulted in new water distribution levels. CU pumped 50.07 million gallons of water July 27, breaking the previous record of 49.36 million gallons set July 22, 1998.

DT INDUSTRIES. The Springfield company reported July 22 expectations of fourth-quarter income of 10 cents to 13 cents per diluted share. That's before an expected charge taken for the quarter of up to $13 million, or 83 cents per diluted share. The company said it will formally report results for the quarter that ended June 27 in late August. "We continue to be affected by soft order activity primarily the result of the ongoing deferral of major projects by several customers as well as by cost overruns and production issues in our Automation Group," said Stephen J. Gore, president and chief executive officer. The projected performance for the company's fiscal year means the company will not meet certain financial covenants that are part of its $175 million credit facility. Negotiations are under way to amend the terms of the credit. The $13 million charge in the fourth quarter reflects costs to bring certain projects up to contract specifications and warranty costs to support other contracts. In addition, the company has taken legal action on one account receivable that it has classified as questionable. "The circumstances that led to these cost overrun issues have been identified and changes implemented to mitigate this type of risk on future projects," Gore said.

SLICE OF NICE. AIDS Project of the Ozarks is holding its sixth annual AIDSWALK Sept. 18 to benefit those living with HIV and AIDS in southwest Missouri. AIDS Project is seeking sponsors for the event. Businesses, individuals and organizations interested in sponsoring should contact the AIDS Project at 881-1900.