7784 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 34 / Thursday, February 20, 1997 / Notices

Wisconsin, Milwaukee Wisconsin, a de

novo bank; Great Lakes National Bank

Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, a de

novo bank; Great Lakes National Bank

Ohio, Hamilton, Ohio, a de novo bank;

TCF Colorado Corporation, Englewood,

Colorado, a bank holding company; by

acquiring TCF National Bank Colorado,

Englewood, Colorado, a de novo bank.

In connection with this application,

Applicant also has applied to acquire

TCF Securities, Inc., St. Paul,

Minnesota, and thereby engage in

offering securities brokerage services

involving mutual funds shares and

related investment advisory activities,

pursuant to §§ 225.25 (b)(4) and (b)(15)

of the Board’s Regulation Y.

In addition to this application, TCF

Colorado Corporation, Englewood,

Colorado, also has applied to become a

bank holding company by acquiring 100

percent of the voting shares of TCF

National Bank Colorado, Englewood,

Colorado, a de novo bank.

D. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

(Genie D. Short, Vice President) 2200

North Pearl Street, Dallas, Texas 75201-

2272:

1. ANB Bancshares, Inc., Gonzales,

Texas, and ANB Nevada Group, Inc.,

Carson City, Nevada; to become bank

holding companies by acquiring 100

percent of the voting shares of American

National Bank, Gonzales, Texas.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve

System, February 13, 1997.

Jennifer J. Johnson,

Deputy Secretary of the Board.

[FR Doc. 97–4154 Filed 2-19-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6210-01-F

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.

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 March 17,

1997.

A. Federal Reserve Bank of

Richmond (Lloyd W. Bostian, Jr., Senior

Vice President) 701 East Byrd Street,

Richmond, Virginia 23261-4528:

1. NationsBank Corporation,

Charlotte, North Carolina, and NB

Holdings Corporation, Charlotte, North

Carolina; to retain 7.98 percent of the

voting shares of Calvin B. Taylor

Bankshares, Inc., Berlin, Maryland, and

thereby indirectly retain Calvin B.

Taylor Banking Company of Berlin,

Maryland, Berlin, Maryland.

In connection with this application,

Applicants have also applied to retain

13.03 percent of the votings shares of

First Perry Bancorp, Inc., Pinckneyville,

Illinois, and thereby indirectly retain

First National Bank in Pinckneyville,

Pinckneyville, Illinois.

In addition to this application,

Applicants have also applied to retain

15.43 percent of the voting shares of The

First National Bank in Falfurrias,

Falfurrias, Texas.

In addition to this application,

Applicants have also applied to retain

15.52 percent of the voting shares of

First National Security Company, De

Queen, Arkansas, and thereby indirectly

retain Bank of Ashdown, NA, Ashdown,

Arkansas; First National Bank of

Howard County, Dierks, Arkansas;

Citizens National Bank, Nashville,

Arkansas; Bank of Waldron, Waldron,

Arkansas; American State Bank, Broken

Bow, Oklahoma; and First National

Bank of De Queen, De Queen, Arkansas.

In addition to this application,

Applicants have also applied to retain

15.52 percent of the voting shares of

First National Security Company, De

Queen, Arkansas, and therby indirectly

retain First National Bancshares of

Hempstead County, Inc., Hope,

Arkansas; First National Bank of Hope,

Hope, Arkansas; Bank of Blevins,

Blevins, Arkansas; and First National

Bank of Lewisville, Lewisville,

Arkansas. NationsBank has applied to

retain all of these shares held in its

fiduciary capacity.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve

System, February 14, 1997.

Jennifer J. Johnson,

Deputy Secretary of the Board.

[FR Doc. 97–4183 Filed 2-19-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6210-01-F

Notice of Proposals to Engage in

Permissible Nonbanking Activities or

to Acquire Companies that are

Engaged in Permissible Nonbanking

Activities

The companies listed in this notice

have given notice under section 4 of the

Bank Holding Company Act (12 U.S.C.

1843) (BHC Act) and Regulation

Y, (12 CFR Part 225) to engage de novo,

or to acquire or control voting securities

or assets of a company that engages

either directly or through a subsidiary or

other company, in a nonbanking activity

that is listed in § 225.25 of Regulation

Y (12 CFR 225.25) or that the Board has

determined by Order to be closely

related to banking and permissible for

bank holding companies. Unless

otherwise noted, these activities will be

conducted throughout the United States.

Each notice is available for inspection

at the Federal Reserve Bank indicated.

Once the notice 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

question whether the proposal complies

with the standards of section 4 of the

BHC Act.

Unless otherwise noted, comments

regarding the applications must be

received at the Reserve Bank indicated

or the offices of the Board of Governors

not later than March 5, 1997.

A. Federal Reserve Bank of

Richmond (Lloyd W. Bostian, Jr., Senior

Vice President) 701 East Byrd Street,

Richmond, Virginia 23261-4528:

1. Crestar Financial Corporation,

Richmond, Virginia; to engage de novo

through its subsidiary, Crestar Securities

Corporation, Richmond, Virginia, in

underwriting and dealing in certain

bank-ineligible securities. See Citicorp

73 Fed. Res. Bull. 473 (1987) and

Chemical 73 Fed. Res. Bull. 731 (1987);

in acting as agent in the private

placement of all types of securities. See

Bankers Trust 75 Fed. Res. Bull. 829

(1989) and J.P. Morgan 76 Fed. Res.

Bull. 26 (1990); and in buying and

selling all types of securities on the

order of customers as riskless principal.

See 82 Fed. Res. Bull. 759 (1996).

B. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

(James A. Bluemle, Vice President) 230

South LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois

60690-1413:
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 34 / Thursday, February 20, 1997 / Notices 7785

1. HPK Financial Corporation,

Chicago, Illinois; to acquire Mortgage

Service America, Inc., Lombard, Illinois,

and thereby engage in making and

servicing loans, pursuant to §

225.25(b)(1) of the Board’s Regulation Y.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve

System, February 13, 1997.

Jennifer J. Johnson,

Deputy Secretary of the Board.

[FR Doc. 97–4155 Filed 2-19-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6210-01-F

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

[File No. 952–3029]

Splitfire, Inc.; Analysis to Aid Public

Comment

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.

ACTION: Proposal Consent Agreement.

SUMMARY: In settlement of alleged

violations of federal law prohibiting

unfair or deceptive acts or practices and

unfair methods of competition, this

consent agreement, accepted subject to

final Commission approval, would

prohibit, among other things, the

Northbrook, Illinois-based spark-plug

marketer from making deceptive claims

about the fuel economy, emissions,

horsepower, or cost savings gained from

using its ‘‘split electrode’’ spark plugs

and from misrepresenting the results of

tests, studies, or research and of

testimonials. The complaint

accompanying the consent agreement

alleges that Splitfire made false or

unsubstantiated economy, efficiency,

and improved performance claims for

its spark plugs.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before April 21, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be

directed to: FTC/Office of the Secretary,

Room 159, 6th St. and Pa. Ave., N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20580.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Laura Fremont, Federal Trade

Commission, San Francisco Regional

Office, 901 Market Street, Suite 570, San

Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 356–5270.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant

to Section 6(f) of the Federal Trade

Commission Act, 38 Stat. 721, 15 U.S.C.

46, and Section 2.34 of the

Commission’s Rules of Practice (16 CFR

2.34), notice is hereby given that the

above-captioned consent agreement

containing a consent order to cease and

desist, having been filed with and

accepted, subject to final approval, by

the Commission, has been placed on the

public record for a period of sixty (60)

days. The following Analysis to Aid

Public comment describes the terms of

the consent agreement, and the

allegations in the accompanying

complaint. An electronic copy of the

full text of the consent agreement

package can be obtained from the

Commission Actions section of the FTC

Home Pace (for February 11, 1997), on

the World Wide Web, at ‘‘http://

www.ftc.gov/os/actions/htm.’’ A paper

copy can be obtained from the FTC

Public Reference Room, Room H–130,

Sixth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue,

N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580, either in

person or by calling (202) 326–3627.

Public comment is invited. Such

comments or views will be considered

by the Commission and will be available

for inspection and copying at its

principal office in accordance with

Section 4.9(b)(6)(ii) of the Commission’s

Rules of Practice (16 CFR 4.9(b)(6)(ii)).

Analysis of Proposed Consent Order to

Aid Public Comment

The Federal Trade Commission has

provisionally accepted an agreement to

a proposed consent order from

respondent SplitFire, Inc., an Illinois

corporation that markets automotive

products.

The proposed consent order has been

placed on the public record for sixty

(60) days for receipt of comments by

interested persons. Comments received

during this period will become part of

the public record. After sixty (60) days,

the Commission will again review the

agreement and the comments received

and will decide whether it should make

final the agreement’s proposed order, or

withdraw from the agreement and take

other appropriate action.

This matter concerns the advertising

of SplitFire’s ‘‘SplitFire’’ spark plug,

which has one v-shaped, or ‘‘split’’

electrode. The Commission’s complaint

charges that SplitFire’s advertising

represented, without a reasonable basis,

that use of SplitFire Spark Plugs results

in significantly better fuel economy,

significantly greater horsepower, and

significantly lower emissions than use

of either conventional (non splitelectrode) spark plugs of platinumtipped spark plugs. The Commission’s

complaint also charges that respondent

represented, without a reasonable basis,

that use of SplitFire Spark Plugs will

result in significant cost savings over

use of either conventional or platinumtipped spark plugs.

In addition, the complaint alleges that

the company lacked a reasonable basis

for its claim that 70% of SplitFire Spark

Plugs users achieve a gas mileage

increase of from 1 to 6 more miles per

gallon. Further, the complaint alleges as

false SplitFire’s claim that these figures

were based on competent and reliable

studies or surveys.

Lastly, the Commission’s complaint

charges that respondent represented,

without a reasonable basis, that the

testimonials or endorsements from

consumers appearing in advertisements

and promotional materials for its spark

plugs reflect the typical or ordinary

experience of members of the public

who use SplitFire Spark Plugs.

The proposed consent order contains

provisions designed to remedy the

violations charged and to prevent the

respondent from engaging in similar

acts and practices in the future.

Part I of the proposed order prohibits

SplitFire, Inc., from representing,

without competent and reliable

scientific evidence, the effect of any

motor vehicle product on a vehicle’s

fuel economy, emissions, or

horsepower. Part I also prohibits the

company from representing, without

competent and reliable scientific

evidence, the comparative or absolute

cost savings that any motor vehicle

product will contribute to or achieve.

Part II of the proposed order prohibits

respondent, when advertising any motor

vehicle product, from misrepresenting

the existence, contents, validity, results,

conclusions or interpretations of any

test, study, or research.

Part III of the proposed order

addresses claims made through

endorsements or testimonials. Under

Part III, respondent may make such

representations if respondent possesses

and relies upon competent and reliable

scientific evidence that substantiates the

representations; or respondent must

disclose either what the generally

expected results would be for users of

the advertised product, or the limited

applicability of the endorser’s

experience to what consumers may

generally expect to achieve. The

proposed order’s treatment of

testimonial claims is in accordance with

the Commission’s ‘‘Guides Concerning

Use of Endorsements and Testimonials

in Advertising,’’ 16 C.F.R. 255.2(a).

Part IV of the proposed order requires

respondent to possess adequate

substantiation for any representation

regarding the performance, benefits, or

efficacy of any motor vehicle product.

The proposed order also requires

respondent to maintain advertising

materials and materials relied upon to

substantiate claims covered by the

order; to provide a copy of the consent

agreement to certain personnel in the

company; to notify the Commission of

any change in the corporate structure

that might affect compliance with the

order; and to file one or more reports

detailing compliance with the order.