EQUITABLE BANC &lt;EBNC> BOSS HAS AMERITRUST STAKE

  A group controlled by Equitable
  Bancorp Chairman Alfred Lerner said it has acquired a 9.6 pct
  stake in AmeriTrust Corp &lt;AMTR> and may buy up to 24.9 pct if
  obtains regulatory approval.
      In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
  the group said it bought its stake of 2.0 mln Ameritrust common
  shares, for 81.1 mln dlrs as an investment.
      But the group, acting through Clevebaco L.P., a Cleveland
  partnership, also said it would seek regulatory approval to
  increase its stake. Lerner owns Clevebaco Corp, which is the
  general partner of Clevebaco L.P.
      The Lerner group said it filed with the Federal Reserve
  Board on March 13 notice of its intent to buy more than 10 pct
  of the common stock of AmeriTrust, a Cleveland bank holding
  company.
      If the Fed approves, Lerner, whose Equitable Bancorp is
  also in Cleveland, said he intends to buy more AmeriTrust
  stock, subject to market conditions and other factors.
      Since Lerner heads a bank holding company with assets
  greater than one billion dlrs, he said he is barred by law from
  serving as a director or officer of AmeriTrust or of having his
  representatives on its board.
      Lerner said he has no intention of influencing AmeriTrust
  management or its policies.
      The group said Clevebaco L.P. bought one mln of its shares
  from Bear, Stearns and Co Inc on March 9 at 41 dlrs a share.
      Lerner said he accumulated the other one mln shares through
  March 3 and sold them to Clevebaco L.P., which he controls, on
  March 10 for 40.10 dlrs a share.
  

