June 19, 1991

Ruling Sets Back Insurers A Federal appeals court allowed certain price-fixing cases against insurers. The industry claims exemption from antitrust law. Page D1. Danger: Petrochemicals

Neil Bush ended his fight with Federal regulators today. Mr. Bush, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his role as director of a failed Colorado savings and loan, dropped his appeal of a Government order issued in April that imposed mild restrictions if he ever again became a director of a bank or savings and loan. The Office of Thrift Supervision had ruled that Mr. Bush, the President's son, had engaged in conflicts of interest as a director of the Silverado Bank, Savings and Loan Association. Mr. Bush served as an outside director from 1985 to 1988.

Secretary of State James A. Baker 3d outlined a series of proposals today under which the United States and its allies could begin to help the Soviet Union out of its economic morass without the infusion of vast amounts of cash. Although Mr. Baker did not explicitly rule out the large-scale cash aid sought by Moscow, his remarks suggested that the Administration would lobby with its Western allies not to rush into cash aid programs.

When the compact disk emerged from the laboratory as a consumer product in the mid-1980's, recording companies hated it. It would confuse consumers and ruin the recording business, they said. Today, records are indeed near extinction, but the recording business has doubled since CD's, with their scratch-free, hiss-free digital clarity, went on sale eight years ago. Now the battle is about to be fought again -- this time over compact disks that record. The industry is choosing sides over a new technology called MD, for mini disk, a variant of the compact disk that the Sony Corporation is betting will make its own Walkman obsolete.

The Economy The recession may already have ended but no measurable expansion of the economy has yet begun, the Fed chairman, Alan Greenspan, told the House Ways and Means Committee. [ Page A1. ]