In another growth spurt, E*Trade Bank has received approval from regulators to acquire more than 30,000 accounts with deposits currently valued at more than $1.7 billion from Chase Manhattan Bank USA, National Association, a subsidiary of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

The E*Trade Group Inc. company, which claims to be the largest branchless bank in the United States, said the transaction was approved by the Office of Thrift Supervision.

E*Trade Bank said it is gaining high-balance, transaction-based accounts that are expected to continue to widen its interest rate spreads, generating greater profitability. The bank intends to cross-sell its other high value financial products and services in order to increase its revenue per household.

Financial specifics of the deal were not disclosed. The purchase was first announced last October.

"The acquired accounts will enable us to deepen our customer relationships by accelerating the cross-sell of our robust suite of financial products and services, resulting in enhanced profitability and value for our shareowners," said Mitchell Caplan, chief financial products officer and managing director, North America for E*Trade.