When the Firstar Corporation of Milwaukee completes its acquisition of U.S. Bancorp of Minneapolis, the combined asset management unit will have approximately $50 billion in mutual fund assets under management, according to Strategic Insight of New York. So what can be expected once the merger is completed? Further expansion, according to Thomas Schreier, the asset management unit's newly-appointed CEO.

Mutual Fund Investment Trust of New York has filed a proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission seeking to merge the H&Q IPO & Emerging Company Fund, a series of Hambrecht & Quist Fund Trust of San Francisco, with Mutual Fund Investment Trust's newly-created Chase Vista H&Q IPO & Emerging Company Fund. The Hambrecht & Quist Group was recently acquired by The Chase Manhattan Bank of New York.

Centurion Funds of Phoenix, Ariz. has filed a proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission seeking to do a one-for-three reverse split in its Centurion U.S. Contra Fund.

Overseas buyers of U.S. asset managers have pushed the number and prices of mergers and acquisitions to record levels this year.

Legg Mason of Baltimore has announced it will acquire 100 percent of the privately-held stock of Barrett Associates of New York for an undisclosed amount over the next five years. Nine of Barrett's principals, as well as John D. Barrett, II, the firm's chairman and CEO, will stay on under long-term agreements each has signed, Legg Mason said in a statement.

Kemper Funds of Chicago has filed a proxy with the Securities and Exchange Commission seeking to merge three of its funds with the Kemper Total Return Fund as part of the firm's initiative to change its name in 2001 to Zurich Scudder Investments.

Banque Arjil et Cie of Paris will sell its entire stake of ABF Capital Management to the asset management firm's founding partners and Credit Lyonnais Asset Management, both of Paris, the companies announced.

First Union of Charlotte, N.C. combined its institutional investment group, First Capital Group, with Evergreen Investments, also of Charlotte, and changed its name to Evergreen Institutional Asset Management Dec. 1. The action combined the retail mutual fund and institutional asset management divisions of First Union under a single name, according to Chad Peterson, spokesperson for Evergreen Institutional Asset Management.

Pilgrim Mutual Funds of Scottsdale, Ariz. has filed a proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission seeking to merge its Pilgrim Global Income Fund into the Pilgrim Strategic Income Fund.

Talvest Fund Management of Montreal has announced that it has combined four equity funds into a single new fund, the Talvest Cdn. Multi Management Fund.

Pilgrim Baxter & Associates of Wayne, Pa., a subsidiary of United Asset Management Corp. of Boston, has filed a proxy with the SEC seeking to merge its PBHG International Fund into the PBHG Global Technology and Communications Fund. The consolidation is pending shareholder approval.

Alliance Capital Management of New York has announced that the stockholders of the ACM Government Income Fund, with over $474 million in assets under management, have approved the acquisition of three other Alliance closed-end bond funds - the ACM Government Securities Fund, the ACM Government Spectrum Fund, and the ACM Government Opportunity Fund, which have combines assets under management of over $955 million.

A hostile takeover bid for Mackenzie Financial of Toronto has put Canada's fifth largest Canadian fund company in play. What remains in doubt is whether the victor will be the opening bidder, C.I. Fund Management of Toronto. There is widespread speculation that a rival will come forward, either from within or outside Canada.

Liberty Financial Companies of Boston has announced that it has retained the investment-banking firm of CS First Boston to help review its strategic alternatives, including a "possible sale" of the company. The company also reported preliminary financial results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30.

Neuberger Berman of New York has announced that it intends to acquire the private asset management business of Delta Capital Management LLC, also of New York, which has approximately $550 million in assets under management. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed but it is expected to close before the end of the year. Francis L. Fraenkel and Peter K. Loeb, managers of Delta's private asset management group, will be managing directors at Neuberger Berman's private asset-management group, the firm announced. Both Fraenkel and Loeb specialize in the large-cap growth style of management.

Allianz Group of Munich, Germany will acquire Nicholas-Applegate of San Diego for $2.07 billion, $980 million of it up front and another $1.09 billion contingent upon Nicholas-Applegate achieving a 25 percent annual growth rate over the next five years, Allianz has announced.

The Pioneer Group of Boston, which currently manages $24 billion in assets, last week completed a spinoff of all of its non-investment management businesses and assets, the company announced

Franklin Templeton Investments of San Mateo, Calif. will acquire Fiduciary Trust International of New York for $825 million in stock, forming a company with $280 billion in assets under management, the companies announced last week.

New York Life Investment Management Holdings of Parsippany, N.J. announced last week that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire the mutual fund and separately-managed account business of Towneley Capital Management of New York. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

InteractiveFunds.com of Dallas, the one-year-old financial services technology company and iExchange.com of Pasadena, Calif., the online investor community, have announced they will merge. The new company will be based in Dallas and will be called iExchange.com. Terms of the merger were not disclosed.