8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, DC 20549



                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
                     PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
                        SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

               Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
                                 April 20, 2000


                             AMSOUTH BANCORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


                                                       
        DELAWARE                          1-7476                 63-0591257
(State or other jurisdiction           (Commission             (IRS Employer
     of incorporation)                 File Number)         Identification No.)

                              AMSOUTH-SONAT TOWER
                            1900 FIFTH AVENUE NORTH
                           BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA 35203
          (Address, including zip code, of principal executive office)

      Registrant's telephone number, including area code:  (205) 320-7151


                                 Not applicable

          (Registrant's former address of principal executive office)


Item 5.  Other Events.
         ------------

     AmSouth Bancorporation ("AmSouth") is filing this Current Report on Form 8-
K to report the following:

     On April 20, 2000, AmSouth issued a press release announcing the approval
of the Board of Directors for the repurchase of up to thirty-five million shares
of AmSouth Common Stock over the next two years.   A copy of the press release
is attached hereto.

Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits.
         ---------------------------------

         The following exhibit is filed as part of this Current Report on Form
8-K:

         Exhibit No.                Exhibit

         99                         Press Release of April 20, 2000


                                   SIGNATURE

  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                               AMSOUTH BANCORPORATION


                               By /s/ Carl L. Gorday

                               Name:  Carl L. Gorday
                               Title: Assistant Secretary


Date:  May 1, 2000

EX-99

                                  Exhibit 99


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: (Investment Community) List Underwood (205) 801-0265
         (News Media) Jim Underwood (205) 326-5184

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 20, 2000 --- AmSouth Bancorporation (NYSE: ASO)
The Board of Directors of AmSouth Bancorporation today approved a plan to
repurchase up to 35 million shares of its outstanding common stock over the next
two years. The announcement was made by C. Dowd Ritter, president and chief
executive officer of AmSouth, following the regularly scheduled Board of
Directors meeting.

Ritter commented, "The share repurchases will allow us to manage our equity
efficiently while at the same time maintaining our overall strong capital
position."

The common shares may be repurchased in the open market or in privately
negotiated transactions. The reacquired common shares will be held as treasury
shares and may be reissued for various corporate purposes, including employee
benefit programs. As of March 31, 2000, there were approximately 392 million
AmSouth Bancorporation shares outstanding.

AmSouth's board of directors also declared a regular quarterly dividend of $.20
per common share, payable July 1, 2000, to shareholders of record as of the
close of business on June 14, 2000.

AmSouth holds Moody's Investors Service's "Dividend Achiever" designation for
increasing dividends for 29 consecutive years. In addition, Standard & Poor's
includes AmSouth among its list of 32 "dividend aristocrats," defined as
companies that offer above average long-term total-return potential as well as a
measure of stability and security.

AmSouth is a regional bank holding company headquartered in Birmingham with
$43.6 billion in assets, and more than 600 branch banking offices and 1,300
ATMs. As the 20th largest bank holding company in the nation, AmSouth has
leading market positions in Tennessee, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, and a
presence in Louisiana, Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky and Virginia. AmSouth is also
a leader among regional banks in the Southeast in several key business segments,
including consumer and commercial banking, small business banking, mortgage
lending, equipment leasing, annuity and mutual fund sales, and trust asset
management.