SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 ____________________ FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1934 Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): FEBRUARY 20, 2000 ___________________ FECHTOR, DETWILER, MITCHELL & CO. (Exact name of registrant as specified in charter) DELAWARE 0-12926 95-2627415 (State of other jurisdiction (Commission File (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Number) Identification No.) 225 Franklin Street, 20th Floor, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02110 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 617-747-0100 ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS On February 20, 2000, the Board of Directors of Registrant extended the expiration date of Registrant's Shareholder Rights Agreement to February 21, 2010 by amendment of the Rights Agreement to extend the expiration date of the Rights to February 21, 2010. ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS (c) Exhibits. The Following exhibit is filed herewith: 4.11 Resolutions of Registrant's Board amending Rights Agreement SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. FECHTOR, DETWILER, MITCHELL & CO. Dated: March 24, 2000 By: /s/ ROBERT E. JEFFORDS ------------------------------ Robert E. Jeffords Assistant Secretary Page 2 EXHIBIT 4.11 WRITTEN CONSENT OF DIRECTORS The undersigned, constituting all of the directors of Fechtor, Detwiler, Mitchell & Co., a Delaware corporation, hereby adopt the following resolutions by unanimous written consent, effective as of February 20, 2000. RESOLVED, that the Rights Agreement dated February 21, 1990, entered into by the Company under its former name "Spear Financial Services, Inc." with First Interstate Bank, Ltd. as Rights Agent, is hereby amended to extend the expiration date of the Rights from February 21, 2000 to February 21, 2010. RESOLVED FURTHER that Section 7(a) of said Rights Agreement shall be amended by changing "February 21, 2000" as it appears therein to read "February 21, 2010". /s/ Richard Fechtor /s/ Edward Hughes - ----------------------- ----------------------- Richard Fechtor Edward Hughes /s/ Edward Baran /s/ Frank Jenkins - ----------------------- ----------------------- Edward Baran Frank Jenkins /s/ Barton Beek /s/ James K. Mitchell - ----------------------- ----------------------- Barton Beek James K. Mitchell /s/ Andrew Detwiler /s/ Robert Sharp - ----------------------- ----------------------- Andrew Detwiler Robert Sharp