Billions

P:More life insurance was bought in 1928 than ever before. U. S. policies now total $18,500,000,000, compared with $17,135,000,000 a year ago, according to statistics of the Association of Life Insurance Presidents, published last week.

P:In its compilation of the 100 largest U. S. banks, the American Banker revealed that 30 are in Manhattan, 11 in Chicago; that total deposits of the list amount to $20,653,618,100. There are two U. S. banks (National City, Chase National, both in Manhattan) with deposits exceeding one billion. The Bank of the Manhattan Co., expanding by a succession of mergers, has risen from 24th place to 10th within one year.

The ten biggest banks:

Total deposits Position last year

National City (Manhattan) $1,349,024,386 1

Chase National (Manhattan) 1,126,781,646 2

Guaranty Trust Co. (Manhattan) 842,358,215 3

Irving Trust (Manhattan) 734,455,423 5

Bank of Italy (San Francisco) 698,435,840 4

National Bank of Commerce (Manhattan) 672,943,890 8

Bankers Trust Co. (Manhattan) 584,088,640 6

Continental Nat'l Bank & Trust (Chicago) 536,634,830 7

Equitable Trust Co. (Manhattan) 530,843,927 9

Manhattan Co. (Manhattan) 465,762,453 24

P: U. S. men, women & children bought and paid taxes on 105,925,765,651 cigarets in 1928. It was the first time U. S. cigaret sales reached the 100-billion mark--a per capita consumption of approximately 1,000 cigarets a year. About 8,700,000,000 more cigarets were smoked in 1928 than in 1927. U. S. smokers had a 1928 cigaret bill of almost exactly two billion dollars.