8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                            WASHINGTON, D.C.  20549

                                               



                                    FORM 8-K



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





                                 August 4, 1995
                Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)




                         Mercantile Bancorporation Inc.
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)






              Missouri               0-6045               43-0951744
           (State or other         (Commission           (IRS Employer
           jurisdiction of         File Number)       Identification No.)
           incorporation)


              P.O. Box 524, St. Louis, Missouri           63166-0524
          (Address of principal executive offices)        (Zip Code)



                                  (314) 425-2525
               (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)







         Item 5.   Other Events

                   On August 4, 1995, Mercantile Bancorporation Inc.,
         a Missouri corporation ("MBI"), and Hawkeye Bancorporation,
         an Iowa corporation ("Hawkeye"), entered into an Agreement
         and Plan of Reorganization (the "Reorganization  Agreement").
         Pursuant to the Reorganization Agreement, Hawkeye will be
         merged with and into a wholly owned subsidiary of MBI
         incorporated or to be incorporated under the laws of Iowa
         (the "Merger").

                   Pursuant to the Reorganization Agreement, Hawkeye
         common shareholders will receive 0.585 shares of MBI common
         stock, par value $5.00 per share ("MBI Common Stock"), for
         each share of Hawkeye common stock, without par value
         ("Hawkeye Common Stock").  Based on the number of shares of 
         Hawkeye Common Stock outstanding as of June 30, 1995, an 
         aggregate of approximately 7,874,903 shares of MBI Common Stock 
         will be issued to the common shareholders of Hawkeye in the 
         Merger.

                   Consummation of the Merger is subject to certain
         conditions, including:  (i) approval of the Reorganization
         Agreement by the holders of a majority of the outstanding
         shares of Hawkeye Common Stock; (ii) approval of the Federal
         Reserve Board and various other federal and state regulatory
         authorities to the extent required; (iii) registration of the
         shares of MBI Common Stock to be issued in the Merger under
         the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all applicable
         state securities laws; (iv) receipt of an opinion of counsel
         as to the tax-free nature of certain aspects of the Merger;
         and (v) satisfaction of certain other conditions.  Certain
         directors and officers of Hawkeye have agreed with MBI to
         vote all of the shares of Hawkeye Common Stock over which
         such directors or officers have voting power to approve the
         Merger and not to sell any of such shares other than pursuant
         to the Merger without MBI's consent.  

                   Pursuant to a Stock Option Agreement, dated August
         4, 1995, between MBI and Hawkeye (the "Stock Option
         Agreement"), Hawkeye granted MBI an irrevocable option (the
         "Option") to purchase, under certain circumstances and
         subject to certain adjustments, up to 2,678,000 authorized
         and unissued shares of Hawkeye Common Stock, at a price of
         $22.00 per share payable in cash.  The shares of Hawkeye
         Common Stock subject to the Option would equal 19.9% of the
         outstanding Hawkeye Common Stock before giving effect to the
         exercise of the Option.  Under certain circumstances, Hawkeye
         may be required or permitted to repurchase the Option granted
         by it or the shares of Hawkeye Common Stock acquired pursuant
         to the exercise of the Option.  The Option was granted by







         Hawkeye as a condition of and in consideration for MBI
         entering into the Reorganization Agreement.

                   For additional information regarding the Merger and
         related matters, reference is made to the press release dated
         August 4, 1995, a copy of which is filed herewith as an
         exhibit hereto and is incorporated herein by reference.  

         Item 7.   Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Informa-
                   tion and Exhibits

         The following exhibits are filed with this report:

         99.1 Press Release dated August 4, 1995.








                                   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 hereto
         duly authorized.

                                       MERCANTILE BANCORPORATION INC.


         Dated:    August 17, 1995     By /s/ Jon W. Bilstrom        
                                           Jon W. Bilstrom
                                           General Counsel and 
                                            Secretary







                                  EXHIBIT LIST


         99.1 Press Release dated August 4, 1995.  

EX-99.1

                   Bancorporation    P.O. Box 524             MERCANTILE
         Release   Inc               St. Louis MO  63166-0524       BANK









         For Immediate Release:  August 4, 1995

         Contact:  Patrick Strickler
                   (314) 425-3835
                   (314) 425-8335

         NYSE Symbol:   MTL
         In newspaper stock tables generally MercBc or MercBcpMO




                        MERCANTILE ANNOUNCES PLAN TO MERGE
                           WITH HAWKEYE BANCORPORATION


                   ST. LOUIS -- Mercantile Bancorporation Inc., the

         $15.3-billion asset St. Louis-based bank holding company, an-

         nounced today that it plans to expand its presence in Iowa

         through a merger with Hawkeye Bancorporation.  


                   The merger would move Mercantile into a major posi-

         tion in deposit market share in Iowa, where Hawkeye currently

         has a market leadership position in most of the banking markets

         it serves.  None of those markets overlaps with existing Mer-

         cantile banks in Iowa.


                   Hawkeye, which operates 23 banks with 65 branches

         serving a total of 47 Iowa communities, had approximately $2-

         billion in assets as of June 30.  Mercantile, with a total of

         54 locally-managed banks in five Midwestern states, already has





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         established a presence in the Iowa markets of Waterloo and Dav-

         enport.


                   "This merger with Hawkeye dramatically moves Mercan-

         tile into a market leadership position in Iowa," said Thomas H.

         Jacobsen, Mercantile's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

         "It also reflects Mercantile's established expansion strategy

         of securing a significant presence in strong Midwestern mar-

         kets."  


                   He added, "Hawkeye's network of community banks com-

         plements existing Mercantile markets in Iowa, and we believe

         the combination of our two organizations creates a very com-

         petitive banking organization to serve the customers of Iowa."  


                   "We are extremely pleased to have found a partner in

         Mercantile who shares our own community-oriented banking phi-

         losophy," said Robert W. Murray, President and CEO of Hawkeye.

         "Mercantile's commitment to local bank management and decision

         making is a real fit with how we do business."


                   Murray added, "Everyone benefits from this merger.

         The capital strength and range of services provided by Mercan-

         tile will be a real asset in all the communities we serve.  We

         will be retaining the service and personal relationships that

         our customers, employees and shareholders value and expect of

         us."



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                   Murray, who will have an ongoing management responsi-

         bility in the merged operations of Hawkeye and Mercantile, will

         be nominated to the Mercantile Bancorporation Board of Direc-

         tors as part of the merger agreement.  "The management struc-

         ture has not yet been fully determined," he said, "but I will

         continue in my management responsibilities within the new Mer-

         cantile banking organization here in Iowa."


                   The proposed transaction will be structured as a

         pooling of business interests.  Under the terms of the agree-

         ment, Hawkeye shareholders will receive 0.585 shares of Mercan-

         tile stock for each share of Hawkeye common stock.  The trans-

         action has an aggregate market value of approximately $351-

         million.


                   In connection with the merger agreement, Hawkeye also

         granted Mercantile an option to acquire a number of shares

         equal to 19.9 percent of the outstanding stock of Hawkeye, ex-

         ercisable under certain circumstances relating to the transac-

         tion.  In addition, Mercantile may repurchase up to 10 percent

         of the shares issued in the transaction.


                   The merger is subject to approval by Hawkeye share-

         holders and all appropriate regulatory agencies, a process that

         normally takes approximately six months to complete.  Conver-

         sion of products, services, and the identity of individual



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         banks to Mercantile normally occurs within three to four months

         after the merger has been completed.


                   Mercantile Bancorporation had assets of $15.3-billion

         as of June 30, 1995, and owns 54 banks in Missouri, Iowa, Kan-

         sas, Illinois and Arkansas.  Mercantile's nonbank subsidiaries

         include companies providing brokerage services, asset-based

         lending, investment advisory services and credit life insur-

         ance.  


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