BANKING

Bank of Boston Unveils Loan Program: The bank said it was earmarking at least $3 billion in loans to small businesses to stimulate economic growth. The credit initiative, announced at news conferences in Boston and Hartford attended by the governors of Massachusetts and Connecticut, is aimed at easing a credit crunch that has hamstrung a recovery in the six-state region. Bank of Boston Chairman and Chief Executive Ira Stepanian said the lending initiative could generate up to 50,000 jobs in the region.