FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

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Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* Spiess Gary A.	2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol FleetBoston Financial Corporation (FBF)		6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) Director 10% Owner X Officer (give title below) Other (specify below) Executive Vice President and General Counsel
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* Lamb, Jr. Robert C.	2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol FleetBoston Financial Corporation (FBF)		6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) Director 10% Owner X Officer (give title below) Other (specify below) EVP and Chief Financial Officer
(Last) (First) (Middle) FleetBoston Financial Corporation 100 Federal Street	3. I.R.S. Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an entity (voluntary)	4. Statement for Month/Day/Year 0102/2718/03
(Street) Boston, MA 02110		5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)	7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) X Form filed by One Reporting Person Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
(City) (State) (Zip)	Table I — Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Trans- action Date (Month/ Day/ Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/ Year)	3. Trans- action Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 & 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Follow- ing Reported Transactions(s) (Instr. 3 & 4)	6. Owner- ship Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common Stock	0102/2718/03		SA(1)		214,~~000~~905	DA	~~$24.97~~	~~116~~41,~~527~~884	D
Common Stock								10,820.8411	I	401(k) Plan(2)
Common Stock								400	I	As Custodian for Daughters/UGMA

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v).

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FORM 4 (continued)

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)

2. Conver- sion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security

3. Trans- action Date (Month/ Day/ Year)

3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/ Day/ Year)

4. Trans- action Code (Instr. 8)

5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 & 5)

6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/ Year)

7. Title and Amount of Underlying Securities (Instr. 3 & 4)

8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)

9. Number of Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)

10. Owner- ship Form of Deriv- ative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)

11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)

Code

(A)

(D)

Date Exer-cisable

Expira- tion Date

Title

Amount or Number of Shares

Performance Restricted Stock Units

1-for-1

02/18/03

A(3)

75,000

(3)

Common Stock

75,000

Explanation of Responses: (1) Award of restricted stock pursuant to the FleetBoston Financial 1996 Long-Term Incentive Plan.(2) Based on a plan statement as of December 31, 2002.(3) Award of performance restricted stock units pursuant to the FleetBoston Financial 1996 Long-Term Incentive Plan. The restrictions on these units will lapse if the Corporation meets certain pre-established earnings per share targets in 2004 and 2005.

By: /s/ ~~Gary~~Martha AR. ~~Spiess~~Francis ~~Gary~~Martha AR. ~~Spiess~~Francis, Attorney-in-Fact **Signature of Reporting Person 0102/2720/03 Date

**Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations.
See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).

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POWER OF ATTORNEY

Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints each of

Gary A. Spiess, Janice B. Liva, Paul A. Auerbach, Terence A. McGinnis, Robert J. King, Jr.,

Anne E. Turley, Courtney A. Orwig and Martha R. Francis, signing singly, the undersigned's true and lawful

attorney-in-fact to:

(1) execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's capacity as an

officer and/or director of FleetBoston Financial Corporation(the "Company"), Forms 3, 4, and 5

in accordance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder;

(2) do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the undersigned which may be necessary or

desirable to complete and execute any such Form 3, 4, or 5, complete and execute any amendment or

amendments thereto, and file such form with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission

and any stock exchange or similar authority; and

(3) take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the foregoing which, in the

opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally required

by, the undersigned, it being understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact on

behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain

such terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in such attorney-in-fact's discretion.

The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power and authority to do and perform

any and every act and thing whatsoever requisite, necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of

any of the rights and powers herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned

might or could do if personally present, with full power of substitution or revocation, hereby

ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact, or such attorney-in-fact's substitute or

substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of this power of attorney and the rights

and powers herein granted. The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing attorneys-in-fact,

in serving in such capacity at the request of the undersigned, are not assuming, nor is the Company

assuming, any of the undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934.

This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the undersigned is no longer

required to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 with respect to the undersigned's holdings of and transactions in

securities issued by the Company, unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing

delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to be executed as of

this 19th day of December, 2002.

Signature: /s/ Robert C. Lamb, Jr.

Print Name:Robert C. Lamb, Jr.

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