Exhibit 99

                  [MERCANTILE BANCORPORATION, INC. LETTERHEAD]
                                        

                                 PRESS RELEASE
                                        


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  October 29, 1997

Contact:    Nadine Z. Genet     Mary J. Lehman        C. Steven Sjogren
            Public Affairs      Investor Relations    President-HomeCorp, Inc.
            (314) 418-8554      (314) 425-2298        (815) 987-2200

NYSE Symbol:  MTL
In newspaper stock tables generally MercBc or MercBcpMO


                    MERCANTILE ANNOUNCES PLANS TO MERGE WITH
                    HOMECORP, INC. OF NORTHWESTERN ILLINOIS

     ST. LOUIS -- Mercantile Bancorporation Inc. (NYSE: MTL), the St. Louis-
based $30 billion bank holding company, today announced plans to merge with
HomeCorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: HMCI), headquartered in Rockford, Illinois.

     HomeCorp, Inc. is the $327 million thrift holding company for HomeBanc,
which operates ten offices in Rockford, Freeport, Loves Park and Dixon,
Illinois.  The acquisition will significantly strengthen Mercantile's presence
in the highly attractive and rapidly growing Rockford market, as well as
increase the company's leading position in Freeport.  In addition, the
acquisition allows Mercantile to expand into the nearby communities of Loves
Park and Dixon.

     "The merger with HomeCorp is a natural extension of our franchise in
northwestern Illinois,"  said Dan Heine,  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of Mercantile Bank of Northern Illinois.  "We're pleased to have the opportunity
to reach further into these markets and serve even more customers in
northwestern Illinois."

     "By partnering with Mercantile, we are offering our customers, employees
and shareholders the benefits that come from being part of a larger company,
while maintaining our commitment to the local community," said C. Steven
Sjogren, president and chief executive officer of HomeCorp, Inc.  Sjogren will
become president of Mercantile Bank/Winnebago County, which includes Rockford,
Loves Park, Winnebago and Pecatonica.  He also will be appointed to the Board of
Directors of Mercantile Bank of Northern Illinois.

     HomeCorp shareholders will receive .4968 shares of Mercantile common stock
for each share 

 
of HomeCorp common stock. In the aggregate, Mercantile will issue 951,380 shares
of common stock in exchange for the outstanding stock of HomeCorp. The merger is
structured as a tax-free exchange and will be accounted for as a pooling of
interests. In connection with the merger agreement, HomeCorp also granted
Mercantile an option to acquire a number of shares equal to 19.9 percent of the
outstanding stock of HomeCorp, exercisable under certain circumstances relating
to the transaction. In addition, Mercantile may repurchase up to 10 percent of
the shares issued in the transaction. The merger is subject to the approval of
HomeCorp shareholders and all appropriate regulatory authorities, and is
expected to close in the second quarter of 1998.

Mercantile Bancorporation Inc., a $30 billion asset multi-bank holding company
headquartered in St. Louis, operates offices in more than 500 locations
throughout Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Illinois and Arkansas.  Mercantile currently
has one additional acquisition pending with Horizon Bancorp, Inc., headquartered
in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.  Mercantile's non-banking subsidiaries include
companies providing brokerage services, asset-based lending, investment advisory
services, leasing services and credit life insurance.