                  UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                       FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
                       ______________________

                              No. 98-60663
                         ______________________

                            ANTONIO COLE

                                                                  Plaintiff,

                 VALDA BROWN; LARRY G. AYCOCK;
              TINA D. BROWN; ONIE TATUM; LISA WATSON

                                                                Appellants,

                                 versus

                 TOWER LOAN OF MISSISSIPPI, INC.;
            AMERICAN FEDERATED INSURANCE COMPANY;
          AMERICAN FEDERATED LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY;
                     FIRST TOWER LOAN, INC.

                                                     Defendants-Appellants,
                                  and

                          FIRST TOWER CORP.

                                                                  Appellee,

________________________________________________________________________

                  Appeal from the United States District Court
                    for the Southern District of Mississippi
                              (1:98-CV-212-BrR)
________________________________________________________________________
                                 July 13, 2000
Before JOLLY, SMITH, and BARKSDALE, Circuit Judges:

PER CURIAM:*

       Based upon our review of the briefs and pertinent parts of the record, and having

heard argument by the parties, and concerning the district court’s 9 September 1998 stay and

class certification orders, we conclude that the court did not abuse its discretion as to the

former and decline to exercise jurisdiction as to the latter.

                                            AFFIRMED in PART; DISMISSED in PART;
                                                                  and REMANDED




       *
           Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be
published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.

                                                  2
