PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A bank official testified Monday that he didn't believe it was wrong for his company to have donated tens of thousands of dollars to local politicians who could help the bank get business. Douglas Pauls, the chief financial officer at Commerce Bancorp, said he considered it to be a "common practice" of big American companies. "Is there anything improper about that whatsoever?" asked Kevin Marino, a lawyer for a Commerce Bank official being tried on corruption charges. "No," Pauls said. Pauls offered his defense of the company as federal prosecutors began introducing evidence designed to portray two...
