HAWAII

Board of Realtors names president

The Honolulu Board of Realtors announced yesterday the election of Sandra “;Sam”; Bangerter as its 2009 president.

Bangerter is a Realtor at RE/MAX Kai Lani.

She has held various leadership positions and served on numerous committees for the board, as well as the Hawaii Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors. Bangerter also holds several professional designations.

The board also named the following officers: President-Elect Brian Benton, Prudential Locations LLC; Secretary Joyce Nakamura, Haseko Realty, Inc.; and Immediate Past President Dana Chandler, Hawaiian Island Homes Ltd.

Established in 1922, the board is one of the largest of 1,600 boards of Realtors in the nation and, with more than 6,000 members, the largest trade organization on Oahu.

NATION

Fiat may buy stake in Chrysler

NEW YORK » Fiat SpA, the Italian automaker that sells only Ferraris and Maseratis in the U.S., may be close to a deal to acquire a stake in Chrysler LLC to expand in the world's largest auto market.

Fiat has an agreement in principle to acquire as much as 35 percent of Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler, the Financial Times of London reported.

The non-cash deal would give Turin-based Fiat access to Chrysler's dealership and manufacturing network in the U.S., the FT said. Fiat had been in discussions with multiple U.S. automakers about using their manufacturing facilities to build vehicles in the U.S. In August, Chrysler President Tom LaSorda said Chrysler had been approached by Fiat.

Chrysler, owned 80.1 percent by Cerberus Capital Management LP, is working on a restructuring plan to cut its debt level by two-thirds and strike a new labor deal to lower costs as part of a government mandate after getting a $4 billion loan from the U.S. Treasury to prevent failure. 

Airlines threaten to move flights

ATLANTA » Airlines that do business at the world's busiest airport are playing hardball in talks over new lease agreements, threatening to move some flights to other airports if they can't maintain competitive costs on fees they pay.

The master lease agreements that apply to airlines at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport do not expire until September 2010, but talks between the sides have already heated up.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc., the world's biggest carrier, and discount carrier AirTran Airways, a unit of Orlando, Fla.-based AirTran Holdings Inc., say that if their costs are too high they may be forced to move some connecting flights to other airports.

Neither Delta nor AirTran is considering pulling out of Atlanta altogether.

Citigroup may delay sale of Nikko

NEW YORK » Citigroup Inc., the bank that's splitting in two and selling units to endure the credit crisis, plans to keep Japanese broker Nikko Cordial Securities Inc. for at least 12 months, said two company officials who asked not to be identified because the deliberations aren't public.

Citigroup, based in New York, “;remains committed to maximizing the value of Nikko Cordial over the next few years,”; the company said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit included the Tokyo-based unit on a list of businesses flagged for eventual sale under a reorganization plan announced Friday.