FINANCE COMPANIES SUED FOR RACE BIAS: Tens of thousands of black consumers nationwide have been charged millions of dollars more than white consumers seeking auto loans from General Motors Acceptance Corp. and Nissan Motors Acceptance Corp., two class-action lawsuits contend. GMAC and NMAC, the carmakers' finance arms, deny the accusations. The suits are seeking a change in the auto loan companies' practices and money back for black consumers who paid more than the objective lending rate over the last 11 years. Gary Klein, senior attorney with the National Consumer Law Center in Boston -- one of several lawyers and law firms involved in the case -- said the amount could be $100-million or more.

CROSS-DRESSER SUES WINN-DIXIE: A 20-year veteran Louisiana truck driver has filed suit against Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., claiming he was fired after the supermarket chain learned he had occasionally dressed as a woman while off duty and talked about feminine aspects of his identity. The American Civil Liberties Union helped file the federal civil suit. They argue Winn-Dixie violated sex discrimination laws by firing Peter Oiler, a married heterosexual, because he did not conform to the company's notion of how a man ought to look and act. Jacksonville-based Winn-Dixie declined to comment.

GAS PRICES INCH UP: The average price of gasoline has climbed 2.8 cents in the past two weeks to about $1.61 per gallon, according to the Lundberg Survey of 10,000 gas stations nationwide. That killed a brief downward trend earlier this month, based on slower fall driving demand, that saw prices dip nearly 3.5 cents per gallon. The recent attack on a U.S. warship near Yemen and growing concerns over the possibility of Israeli-Palestinian violence spilling over to neighboring oil-producing nations sent crude oil futures on the International Petroleum Exchange to a post-Gulf War high of $35.30 a barrel.

TICKET OPERATIONS MAY MERGE: USA Networks Inc. said it may have its Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch Inc. unit buy fellow USA Networks subsidiary Ticketmaster Corp. USA Networks disclosed the plan in a Schedule 13D filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. USA Networks essentially is proposing to move one unit to another, ending up with a greater stake in Ticketmaster Online. USA Networks, headed by chairman and chief executive Barry Diller, owns all of Ticketmaster as well as 49 percent of the stock -- and 84 percent voting control -- of Ticketmaster Online. Among USA Networks' holdings is St. Petersburg's Home Shopping Network. Shares of Ticketmaster Online rose $2, or about 16 percent, to $14.63. USA Networks shares fell 63 cents to $18.63.

BLACKS' WEB ACCESS GROWS: Blacks gained Internet access at almost twice the rate of whites in the past two years, doubling their Web presence, a new study says. The percentage of the black population using the Internet rose to 36 percent, according to a Pew Internet & American Life Study. The percentage of whites online rose to 50 percent, up 8 percentage points. Of those blacks who reported using the Internet, 71 percent said they have home access, compared with 84 percent for white Internet users.

SYKES SHARES RISE: Shares of Sykes Enterprises Inc. rose 20 percent, or 81 cents, to close at $4.88 in light trading. It was the Tampa technical support company's strongest finish since Sept. 29, when it closed at $5.38. The price jump was not preceded by a company announcement; its cause was unclear.

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A "How to Write a Business Plan" workshop today will be from 5 to 7 p.m. at the St. Petersburg Business Development Center, 1045 16th St. S. An incorrect time was published Monday.

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TREASURY AUCTION: Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills rose in Monday's auction. The Treasury Department auctioned $11-billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 6.160 percent, up from 6.080 percent. Another $10-billion in six-month bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 6.050 percent, up from 5.990 percent last week. The new discount rates understate the actual return to investors: 6.344 percent for three-month bills and 6.328 percent for a six-month bill. In a separate report, the Federal Reserve said Monday that the average yield for one-year Treasury bills edged down to 5.94 percent last week from 5.98 percent the previous week.

HCA -- The Healthcare

The Nashville, Tenn., hospital chain, which has 10 facilities in the Tampa Bay area, said a 4.3 percent increase in admissions helped push net income up 26 percent for the quarter ended Sept. 30.

HCA took a $9-million charge in the quarter for restructuring and investigation-related costs. The company said it continues to work with the Department of Justice to reach a final settlement on Medicare fraud charges by a deadline of Dec. 31. HCA, formerly known as Columbia/HCA, already has agreed to pay $745-million to settle civil claims; the agreement is contingent on settlement of criminal charges by year-end.

HealthPlan Services Corp.

The Tampa managed health care services company blamed costs tied to several divestitures during the quarter ended Sept. 30 for its loss. The company said its income from continuing operations was 10 cents a share, compared with a loss of 13 cents in the year-ago quarter. Revenue figures are for continuing operations.

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