Business Notes THRIFTS

President Bush's plan to bail out the savings and loan industry is getting little help from depositors, who are withdrawing their money at an inconvenient moment. The Federal Home Loan Bank Board, which regulates S & Ls, said last week that in January thrifts suffered a record monthly net-deposit outflow of $10.7 billion (total remaining S & L deposits: $964 billion). Because Bush's proposed $200 billion bailout package is to be financed in part from the thrifts' federal insurance premiums, which are based on the size of their deposits, the withdrawals could reduce that source of Government income and increase the share borne by taxpayers. One reason for the heavy S & L outflow is that consumers have been moving their money to money-market funds, which in January were paying depositors an average of 1 1/4 percentage points more than thrifts.

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