  We study complete, finite volume $n$-manifolds $M$ of bounded nonpositive
sectional curvature. A classical theorem of Gromov says that if such $M$ has
negative curvature then it is homeomorphic to the interior of a compact
manifold-with-boundary, and we denote this boundary $\partial M$. If $n\geq 3$,
we prove that the universal cover of the boundary $\widetilde{\partial M}$ and
also the $\pi_1M$-cover of the boundary $\partial\widetilde M$ have vanishing
$(n-2)$-dimensional homology. For $n=4$ the first of these recovers a result of
Nguyen Phan saying that each component of the boundary $\partial M$ is
aspherical. For any $n\geq 3$, the second of these implies the vanishing of the
first group cohomology group with group ring coefficients $H^1(B\pi_1M;\mathbb
Z\pi_1M)=0$. A consequence is that $\pi_1M$ is freely indecomposable. These
results extend to manifolds $M$ of bounded nonpositive curvature if we assume
that $M$ is homeomorphic to the interior of a compact manifold with boundary.
Our approach is a form of "homological collapse" for ends of finite volume
manifolds of bounded nonpositive curvature. This paper is very much influenced
by earlier, yet still unpublished work of Nguyen Phan.
