Fleet Moves To Leverage Columbia.(FleetBoston Financial Corp. combines seven boutique asset management divisions)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

FleetBoston Financial Corp. has combined several subsidiary sales units in order to better sell the expertise of its recently acquired asset manager, Columbia Management Group, to institutional prospects.

The new sales organization, based in New York, puts a single group in charge of seven boutique asset management businesses that the banking company acquired as part of its purchase of Liberty Asset Management last November, said Cornelia L. Kiley, the executive FleetBoston has hired to run the group.

Each of the seven asset managers that Fleet bought -- Colonial Management Associates; Stein, Roe & Farnham Inc.; Liberty Asset Management Co.; Crabbe Huson …