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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 31, 2008

SEC Accountant Exiting

The top accountant in the Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement branch is leaving for a private sector job next month, in what could herald a wave of departures from the embattled agency.

The SEC said Tuesday that Susan Markel, chief accountant in the agency's division of enforcement, is taking a job in the corporate investigations practice of AlixPartners LLP, a turnaround consulting firm.

Retailers Had Bad Season

U.S. retailers' sales declined the most since February 2003 last week, a sign that steeper markdowns before and after Christmas failed to salvage what may be the worst holiday shopping season in four decades.

Sales at stores open at least a year fell 1.8 percent in the seven days through Dec. 27, the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said Tuesday in a statement. Holiday comparable-store sales may decline as much as 2 percent, according to the New York-based trade group.

Retail Center Proposed

Nearly 13 acres on Adamo Drive are proposed for a shopping center and office building.

Attorney Vincent Marchetti recently filed to rezone the commercial property at 5149 Adamo Drive - between Adamo and the Selmon Crosstown Expressway near 50th Street - to planned development. The center, owned by Crosstown Village Inc., would be built in two phases with completion dates in 2012 and 2014. When completed, the project would include about 45,000 square feet of retail and more than 382,000 square feet of offices, city records show.

A Hess Express gas station also is planned at about 3,500 square feet.

Clearwater-based Crosstown bought the site in 2006 from Granite Commercial Center for about $1.7 million, Hillsborough County records show.

Credit Card Rates Fall

The average annual interest rates charged on popular types of credit cards fell again last week, according to Bankrate.com.

For low-interest cards, which have rates below the national average but are often offered only to customers with strong credit histories, the average APR declined to 11.33 percent, from 11.42 percent the week before.

Bankrate surveys the 10 largest banks and thrifts in the 10 largest markets in the United States to determine its averages.

The Associated Press, Bloomberg News, Kathy Steele

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