Hey John.
We're an "8051" Shop mostly. And almost everything we do is in Assembler.
Right now, we're using Atmel and Phillips (NXP or whatever they call themselves now).
What I like about Atmel is: A - They're very responsive when you need them (which isn't often because their documentation is some of the best I've seen.)
B - For programming their newer devices, all you need is $25 for their AT89ISP adapter (and a target board - which you can make yourself or just butcher one of your production boards and dedicate it as your new "bench programmer" - which is what we did. No more spending $1,000's on EPROM burners!!
C - Their product mix is varied enough (i.e., A/D conversion, # of ports, Serial, etc..) that you can make most designs work. And "Yes." it is a fine line between "hobbist" and "serious volume production" sometimes. Or so we would all wish.....!!
For Phillips - I like their smaller stuff. 89LPC90x series. They're a little flaky to get programmed (due mostly to poor documentation and IMHO too many hobbiest in the mix), but we do use them in production volumes.
The Keil EPM900 board is a good development board for the above, and runs about $200. Plus the cost of many, many, many phone calls to Keil to get an order placed. (Note: This company THRIVES on Voice Mail.) But good stuff once you get it, and get it working.
The EPM900 will come with a 4K code limited Assembler, C-Compiler and Debugger (in addition to the hardware emulator). All in all, a pretty good value.
I looked at PIC's a few times and didn't like them. Hard to say exactly why, I guess. Their basic stamp stuff seemed overpriced and underpowered. And really, I think those are out there for experimenters and hobbyist, not serious production. (Now everyone will beat up on me for saying that..?)
But I hope this (and the comments of others) gives you something to ponder while making your choices. COBOL, huh?! Good for you!
Eventually all the other COBOL programmers will die out and you can name your price!!
-mpm