On The Record

Mercantile Bancorporation Inc. has reported that net income for the first quarter of 1998 was $103,892,000, or 77 cents per share. This represents an increase of 20.3 percent over first-quarter 1997 earnings of 64 cents per share, and an increase of 8.5 percent over fourth-quarter earnings of 71 cents per share. Cash-based diluted earnings rose to 87 cents, a 27.9 percent increase over 1997, and a 6.1 percent increase over the fourth quarter.

Commerce Bancshares Inc. has announced record earnings of $34.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 1998, an increase of 17 percent compared to $29.4 million for 1997. Earnings per share the first quarter increased 16 percent to 58 cents, compared to 50 cents for the same period in 1997.

Great Southern Bancorp Inc. has reported preliminary core net income for the quarter and nine months ended March 31, 1998, of $3,141,000, or 38 cents per share, and $9,291,000, or $1.13 per share. This represents an all-time high for third-quarter core earnings and significant increases over the $2,869,000 the company earned in the same quarter a year ago, and the $8,434,000 earned in the nine months ended March 31, 1997.