After joint investigation by US Department of Justice and Pennsylvania, Corestates Financial Corporation agreed to sell 10 Meridian Bancorp Inc. branch offices in Berks County and one in Lebanon County to resolve anticompetitive concerns about its proposed merger with Meridian. The 11 branch offices to be divested have deposits of about $444 million. CoreStates also agreed to pay $25,000 to Pennsylvania antitrust enforcers to be used for “Public Protection Division enforcement purposes.” The Attorney General’s office was concerned that in the absence of the divestitures, a merger between the two would reduce competition for bank services to small and medium sized business enterprises.