MNA Mania

New York -- MCI-WorldCom and Banc One-Chase Manhattan merged in a blockbuster $112 billion deal Monday forming the world's largest telecommunications/banking company and reducing the number of existing corporations to six.

"This is an exciting move for both companies," said Donald Cosgrove, CEO of MCI-WorldCom, whose subsidiaries include SBC-Ameritech, Bell Atlantic-NYNEX and McDonnell Douglas. "As a result of this historic merger, we should be in much better position to consolidate vast amounts of wealth and power in the coming years."

The other five remaining corporations are: Daimer-Chrysler, Monsanto-American Home Products, Shearson-Lehman-Chemical-Citicorp-Travelers Group, Paramount-Viacom-ABC-Disney, and Lockheed-Northrup-Boeing-Pepsico.

According to Forbes managing Editor Russell Belanger, at the current rate of mergers, there will be only one corporation in the world by 2010.

"The six remaining corporations have shown great interest in merging with each other," Belanger said. "Clearly, the stage is being set for the long-discussed creation of UniCorp, a $92 trillion corporation that produces every product on earth, from Canned yams, to basketballs to poison gas."

George Bush, chief executive of U.S. Government, a division of MCI-WorldCom, praised Monday's merger as "an excellent move."