Banks deal with anxiety of the times.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ These are jittery times in one of the nation's largest financial centers.

Charlotte's two big banks, Bank of America Corp. and Wachovia Corp., have been cutting jobs and squeezing expenses since last year, trying to create companies that can reap profits in tough economic times and grow in their post-mega-mergers era.

Inside the banks' uptown towers, at local watering holes, at churches and elsewhere around town, the talk among many is about job losses, office reorganizations or new bosses.

In the fourth quarter, the companies eliminated a combined 2,600 positions nationwide. Wachovia, in the midst of the First Union merger, has informed many employees of its planned cuts but many are still waiting for word. Bank of America says it's making on-going expense reductions, which could include layoffs.

In Mecklenburg County, N.C., where about 30,000 people work for one of the big banks _ about 1 in 20 workers _ changes at these institutions cause ripples that can be felt from technology suppliers to real estate brokers to bartenders.