Users of CompuServe Information Services Inc.'s online service can apply for personal loans of up to $10,000--and get approval in 2 minutes--through the company's new partnership with Beneficial National Bank.

BNB, the commercial banking subsidiary of Beneficial Corp., of Wilmington, Del., will begin offering the loans by the end of the summer under an agreement with CompuServe announced today. Loans will be offered to CIS members at an annual percentage rate of 9.9 percent, said Robert Pierce, president and CEO of BNB.

Upon approval of the loan, users will receive a check within several business days, BNB and CIS officials said. Other consumer financial services including real-estate loans, equity lines of credit and credit insurance are being considered for CIS users, the companies officials announced.

Today's announcement follows last week's news that CompuServe's online banking center, at GO BANKING in the Finance section of the service, is open to users. The center enables users to pay bills, transfer funds, access credit card accounts and communicate with the participating bank, Security First Network Bank, via E-mail, said Cynthia Vahlkamp, senior vice president of marketing for CIS, in Columbus, Ohio. Security First Network Bank is an Internet bank that uses the Virtual Bank Manager software system, which features a military-grade security platform for online transactions.

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