SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              WASHINGTON, DC 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)       July 1, 2000
                                                  -----------------


                                NBT Bancorp Inc.
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                  (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)


         Delaware                       0-14703               16-1268674
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(State or Other Jurisdiction          (Commission            (IRS Employer
      of Incorporation)               File Number)        Identification Number)


   52 South Broad Street, Norwich, New York                             13815
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(Address of Principal Executive Office)                               (Zip Code)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code        607/337-2265
                                                   -------------------


                                       N/A
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          (Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)








Item 2.  Acquisition or Disposition of Assets.

         On July 1, 2000, NBT Bancorp Inc., parent company of NBT Bank, N.A. and
LA Bank,  N.A., and Pioneer  American  Holding Company Corp.,  parent company of
Pioneer American Bank, N.A.,  completed their merger.  The merger results in NBT
being the surviving  holding company for NBT Bank, LA Bank and Pioneer  American
Bank. In the merger,  NBT issued 1.805 shares of NBT common stock for each share
of Pioneer  American  common stock or  approximately  5.2 million  shares of NBT
common stock to the former  stockholders of Pioneer  American.  Three members of
the board of directors of Pioneer American, Messrs. Richard Chojnowski,  Gene E.
Goldenziel,  and  Joseph G.  Nasser,  have  become  members  of the NBT Board of
Directors.  The merger is accounted  for as a pooling of interests and qualifies
as a tax- free exchange for the former Pioneer American stockholders.

Item 7.  Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits.

         (a) The (i) consolidated  audited balance sheets of Pioneer American as
of December  31, 1999 and 1998 and (ii)  consolidated  statements  of income and
cash flows of Pioneer  American  for the fiscal  years ended  December 31, 1999,
1998 and 1997 have been filed with the SEC as part of Pioneer  American's Annual
Report  on Form  10-K,  filed  March 13,  2000  (File  No.  0-  14506),  and are
incorporated  by reference.  The (iii) unaudited  consolidated  balance sheet of
Pioneer American as of March 31, 2000 and (iv) unaudited consolidated statements
of income and cash flows of Pioneer  American  for the three  months ended March
31,  2000 and 1999 have been filed  with the SEC as part of  Pioneer  American's
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q,  filed May 10, 2000 (File No.  0-14506),  and are
incorporated herein by reference. (to be filed by amendment)

         The (i) consolidated audited balance sheets of BSB Bancorp,  Inc. as of
December 31, 1999 and 1998 and (ii)  consolidated  statements of income and cash
flows of BSB Bancorp for the fiscal years ended December 31, 1999, 1998 and 1997
have been  filed  with the SEC as part of BSB  Bancorp's  Annual  Report on Form
10-K,  filed  March  30,  2000  (File  No.  0-17177),  and are  incorporated  by
reference.  The (iii) unaudited  consolidated balance sheet of BSB Bancorp as of
March 31, 2000 and (iv)  unaudited  consolidated  statements  of income and cash
flows of BSB  Bancorp  for the three  months  ended March 31, 2000 and 1999 have
been filed with the SEC as part of BSB Bancorp's  Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q,
filed May 15, 2000 (File No. 0-17177), and are incorporated herein by reference.
(to be filed by amendment)

         (b)  Pro  Forma  Financial  Information.  The (i)  pro  forma  combined
condensed  statements of income of NBT, Pioneer American and BSB Bancorp for the
three  months  ended March 31, 2000 and 1999,  and the years ended  December 31,
1999, 1998 and 1997; and (ii) pro forma combined condensed balance sheet of NBT,
Pioneer  American  and BSB  Bancorp  as of  March  31,  2000.  (to be  filed  by
amendment)

         (c) Exhibits.







         The  following   exhibits  are  filed  with  this  Current   Report  or
incorporated by reference into this Current Report on Form 8-K:

Exhibit
Number            Description
- ------            -----------

23.1              Consent of KPMG LLP (to be filed by amendment)

23.2              Consent   of   PricewaterhouseCoopers   LLP  (to  be filed  by
                  amendment)

99.1              Consolidated  audited balance sheets of Pioneer American as of
                  December  31,  1999 and 1998 and  consolidated  statements  of
                  income and cash flows of Pioneer American for the fiscal years
                  ended  December  31,  1999,  1998  and 1997  (incorporated  by
                  reference to Pioneer  American's  Annual  Report on Form 10-K,
                  filed  March  13,  2000,  File  No.  0-14506)  (to be filed by
                  amendment).

99.2              Unaudited consolidated balance sheet of Pioneer American as of
                  March 31, 2000 and unaudited consolidated statements of income
                  and cash flows of Pioneer  American for the three months ended
                  March 31, 2000 and 1999  (incorporated by reference to Pioneer
                  American's  Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed May 10, 2000,
                  File No. 0-14506) (to be filed by amendment).

99.3              Consolidated  audited  balance  sheets  of BSB  Bancorp  as of
                  December  31,  1999 and 1998 and  consolidated  statements  of
                  income and cash  flows of BSB  Bancorp  for the  fiscal  years
                  ended  December  31,  1999,  1998  and 1997  (incorporated  by
                  reference to BSB Bancorp's  Annual Report on Form 10-K,  filed
                  March 30, 2000, File No. 0-17177) (to be filed by amendment).

99.4              Unaudited  consolidated  balance  sheet of BSB  Bancorp  as of
                  March 31, 2000 and unaudited consolidated statements of income
                  and cash flows of BSB Bancorp for the three months ended March
                  31, 2000 and 1999  (incorporated by reference to BSB Bancorp's
                  Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed May 15, 2000, File No. 0-
                  17177) (to be filed by amendment).





                                    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 hereunto duly authorized.

                                         NBT BANCORP INC.


                                         By:  /s/ Daryl R. Forsythe
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                 Name: Daryl R. Forsythe
                                                 Title: President and Chief
                                                  Executive Officer

Date:  July 14, 2000