In A Complicated Task, Bank Of America To Merge Fleet Operations

HARTFORD (AP) — Bank of America this week is set to begin the complicated task of integrating its system and millions of accounts with the operations of Fleet Bank, which it acquired last year.

More than 2,000 workers are focused on the conversion of accounts belonging to Fleet, which had nearly five million customers in Connecticut and seven other Northeast states.

The work ranges from high-level information technology programming to lesser tasks such as figuring out where to drill holes to wire cable for new computers, said Ken Kavanagh, the Bank of America executive in charge of consumer and small business transition.

The integration, which extends from Thursday to July 25, will be monitored from a command center set up at Bank of America’s corporate headquarters in Charlotte, N.C.

The integration is set for Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.

Fleet computer systems and accounts were merged last month in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine. Call centers were overwhelmed with questions about online banking on the first day, but bank officials said the transition went smoothly. As a result, they are optimistic about the final step about to play out in Connecticut.

The $47 billion merger of Bank of America Corp and FleetBoston Financial Corp established a bank with nearly $1 trillion in assets.

The banking giant said combining the two bank systems will affect nearly three million of the five million former Fleet customers. It will affect the transfer of personal information, including Social Security numbers and other data, which the bank said will be handled carefully. The bank is not putting special security measures in place for the conversion, but is using stricter standards now evolving at Bank of America.

Alex Liftman, a Bank of America spokeswoman in Boston, said the bank is working to eliminate personal information being transferred by physical tapes.

Bank of America has notified customers of the upcoming conversion, advising them that PINs, consolidated account statements, and direct deposit arrangements will not change.

The conversion will be disruptive. Customers who use online banking may not pay bills or transfer money between accounts during the conversion period, though they may view balances, account activity, and transfers online.

Customers may conduct transactions in branches, at ATMs, and by telephone during the conversion period. Bill payments scheduled during the conversion period will not be paid until July 25.