Abused Women May Kill for Their Lives

In the front-page article "Learning to Unclench Their Fists," June 1, it states that while 1,531 women in the United States were killed by their husbands or boyfriends in 1993, 591 men were killed by their partners in the same year. These statistics would lead readers to believe that women can be just as violent as men, right?

According to the Sept./Oct. 1994 Ms. Magazine, nearly half of the women on death row in 1993 were there for the murder of an abusive partner. It is safe to assume, therefore, that a similar percentage of the women murderers cited in the article were merely trying to protect themselves from further harm. It disturbs me that these women, who were most likely trying to save their own lives, were lumped together with men who killed for power and control.

Phoebe B. Hall Storrs, Conn.

High minimum balances: a rip off

Regarding the article "Bank ATMs Take Deposits, Spit Out Cash, Demand Fees," June 9: NationsBank is luring new customers with minimum balances of only $750, while they are ripping off long-time customers like me.

I must maintain a $3,500 balance in my NationsBank personal account and $5,000 in my NationsBank small business account to avoid monthly charges. That's $8,500 doing nothing for me but it does plenty for NationsBank.

For the past couple of years, the minimums for both accounts have been jacked up by $1,000 per year.

With new account campaigns of only $750 per month minimums, I had better start shopping around for a better deal and move my business.

Esther de Ipolyi Houston