A1 Building Bigger Businesses One legacy of the Clinton administration may be a return to economic empires, a result of merger approvals and deregulation.

The merger approval from the New York Banking Department is a victory for the banks, which agreed to make some extraordinary changes.

Some of the plaintiffs charged that the banks, having received the merger approval, were no longer motivated to increase their offers significantly.

They oversee hundreds of routine merger approvals a year and mount dozens of more intensive investigations.

Commission officials said the main purpose of the change would be to provide "one stop shopping" and to free companies from having to get merger approval in three or four neighboring countries.

And the companies' officials also charged that state law did not permit the Department of Public Utility Control to order a rate reduction as part of a merger approval.

And to meet the conditions of the F.T.C.'s merger approval, Time Warner said it would give other Internet service providers access to the Roadrunner systems.

A dismissal would simplify AT&T's fight for merger approval by allowing the telecom giant to focus on beating back the government's separate antitrust challenge.

Outwardly frustrated with trying to get merger approval from the Interstate Commerce Commission, he reaffirmed Santa Fe's commitment in an interview in his office last Thursday.

The deal is pending regulatory and EU merger approval, and the combined business will operate under the Virgin Money brand.