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                       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

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 25, 1999

                                  Advanta Corp.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


           Delaware                     0-14120                23-1462070
 ----------------------------       ----------------       -------------------
 (State or other jurisdiction       (Commission File          (IRS Employer
      of incorporation)                 Number)            Identification No.)

Welsh and McKean Roads, P.O. Box 844, Spring House, PA                  19477
- ----------------------------------------------------------            ----------
      (Address of principal executive offices)                        (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (215) 657-4000
                                                   ---------------

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Item 5.     Other Events

On January 25, 1999 Advanta Corporation reported that late in the day on Friday,
January 22, 1999, Fleet Financial Group, Inc. ("Fleet") filed a Complaint
against the Company relating to the consumer credit card transaction with Fleet
which closed on February 20, 1998. The complaint centers around post-closing
adjustments to the transaction, misconstrues the settlement process and contains
groundless and duplicative allegations.

Advanta believes that the lawsuit is inappropriate and without merit and will
vigorously defend its position as to the proper amount of post-closing
adjustments. The Company and its independent auditors worked in good faith to
complete the settlement process which was agreed upon by both Fleet and Advanta
in the closing agreements. Unfortunately, Fleet controlled the necessary
information and failed to make it readily available to Advanta and its
independent auditors to permit the timely completion of the settlement process.

The Company is surprised and disappointed that Fleet has chosen to file this
suit now rather than to follow the dispute resolution procedures required by the
agreements and agreed to by Fleet. The Company does not expect this suit to have
any impact on its business. The Company has conservatively reserved for
post-closing adjustments. Advanta is confident that when this is resolved, not
only will there be no adverse financial impact to the Company, there may be
incremental value accruing to its benefit.

Advanta is a highly focused financial services company with 2,700 employees,
over $12 billion in managed assets and approximately $8.3 billion in assets
serviced for third parties. Advanta provides consumers and small businesses with
innovative products and services including mortgages, equipment leases, business
credit cards, insurance and deposit products. The Company also provides a full
range of loan purchasing, contract servicing and securitization services to the
mortgage industry.

This Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements that are subject to
certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected. The most significant among these risks and
uncertainties is the uncertainty of the legal process. Additional risks that may
affect the Company's future performance are detailed in the Company's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual
Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.


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Form 8-K                        Advanta Corp.
January 25, 1999

                                   SIGNATURES

            Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of l934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                                     Advanta Corp.

                                     By:/s/ Elizabeth H. Mai
                                        ---------------------------------
                                        Elizabeth H. Mai, Senior Vice President,
                                            Secretary and General Counsel

January 25, 1999