ILITCH BRINGS ON MERRILL LYNCH AND FLEETBOSTON FOR AID

          Tigers Owner Mike Ilitch plans to refinance a $145M
     loan that helped build Comerica Park, according to Becky
     Yerak of the DETROIT NEWS.  The financing "would help Ilitch
     recoup additional costs that he put into Comerica" (see THE
     DAILY, 6/20).  The ballpark was estimated to cost $285M, but
     the final total was $360M, with $135M coming from public
     sources.  The Tigers' financial advisor Scott Fisher said
     that Ilitch has hired Merrill Lynch and FleetBoston
     Financial to refinance a $145M loan from Sumitomo Bank. 
     Collateral for the financing, which will exceed $250M, is
     expected to include stadium revenues.  Jay Bielfield, an
     attorney working on the Tigers' behalf on the refinancing,
     said, "We're getting back for the owner money that he put
     in."  Yerak adds that the interest rate on the financing
     will be "comparable to the Sumitomo loan and has elements of
     both fixed and floating-rate loans.  It will be sold on the
     capital markets in about 60 days" (DETROIT NEWS, 6/27).