Announced Actions for November 14, 1997

Commission action regarding applications for approval: Following a public comment period, the Commission has ruled on an application for approval of a transaction from the following:

• The FTC has approved the application of Loewen Group, Inc., of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, and Loewen Group International, Inc., of Covington, Kentucky, to divest Thomae Garza Funeral Home, Inc., located in Harlingen/San Benito, Texas, and Garza Memorial Funeral Home, Inc., located in Brownsville, Texas, to Border Funerals, Inc., a corporation based in Laredo, Texas, and controlled by Fred Dickey. Divestiture of these or other specified assets was required by an August 1996 consent order settling charges that Loewen Group's acquistion of Thomae Garza Funeral Directors, Inc. and Garza Memorial Funeral Home, Inc. would substantially reduce competition for funeral services in Cameron County, Texas. The divestitures are designed to restore competition. The Commission vote to approve the divesiture was 3-0, with Chairman Robert Pitofsky not participating. (See May 14, 1996 and August 26, 1997 news releases for more details regarding the order; Docket No. C-3677.) Staff contact is Roberta Baruch, 202-326-2861.

Copies of the documents referenced above are available from the FTC's web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Public Reference Branch, Room 130, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580; 202-326-2222; TTY for the hearing impaired 1-866-653-4261. To find out the latest news as it is announced, call the FTC NewsPhone recording at 202-326-2710.