Money, Money, Money   

The Charlotte Observer increases its commitment to follow the money.

The Charlotte Observer, watchdog for the nation's second largest banking center and home to the nation's largest bank, increases its commitment to follow the money. "We want to be the dominant source of news on the banks that are centered here. We also want to compete favorably on the national stories," Executive Business Editor Jon Talton says in explaining his paper's decision to add a third reporter to its banking team. Danielle Herubin, formerly of the Palm Beach Post, joins Amber Veverka and Pamela L. Moore on a team led by editor Cliff Glickman. The 3-year-old squad covers local giant Bank of America, as well as other lenders, securities, regulatory issues and much more for the 240,970-circulation daily. With this added firepower, Talton says, the Observer may introduce a banking/corporate news page in its print editions and a banking Web site. He suggests these developments are a smaller-scale variation of how its Knight Ridder sister paper, the San Jose Mercury News, covers technology. "We want the great corporate stories," Talton says, "but we [also] want the intersection of banking and society."