December 29, 2000  

Now appearing on sptimes.com

Outback experiments in eating [Times photo: Chris Schneider] Looking to expand its customer base, the Tampa restaurant chain is developing three new brands in the area.

Wards to shut stores
A lackluster holiday shopping season claimed a big victim Thursday as long-struggling Montgomery Ward LLC filed for bankruptcy court protection and said the 128-year-old retail chain will go out of business by spring.

Callable CD sales draw inquiry from SEC officials
Some brokerage customers say the firms have failed to disclose the investment's risks.

Business today
U.S. EXISTING HOME SALES RISE: Sales of previously occupied homes rose 4.4 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.22-million, the National Association of Realtors reported. Cheaper mortgage rates encouraged Americans to snap up existing homes in November, pushing sales to the highest level in three months. Mortgage rates have fallen since hitting a five-year high of 8.64 percent in May. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in November was 7.75 percent, down from 7.80 percent in October.