ADVERTISING: Florida launches tourism campaign

Tallahassee —- Florida's top industry is hoping to blunt the effect of a softening economy with its first national ad campaign aimed at persuading travelers to come to the state. The tourism ad campaign, focusing TV and Web viewers in cold Northern cities, began Monday. The campaign is run by Visit Florida, the state-created corporation that promotes tourism. The corporation is funded by the surcharge paid on rental cars in Florida.

AUTOMOTIVE: Recalls affect Ford SUVs, vans

Washington —- Ford Motor Co. said Monday it is recalling more than 180,000 sport utility vehicles and vans in two separate recalls. The larger of the two recalls involves nearly 124,000 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs from the 2007-08 model years. The automaker said the spring system in the inside door handles could break. The second recall involves more than 57,000 model 2006 and '07 E-150, E-250 and E-350 vans, and 2007 Expedition and Navigator SUVs with 5.4-liter engines. The automaker said the engine's fuel rail crossover hose could crack and leak fuel, potentially leading to a fire.

Kia appoints CEO for U.S. unit

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest automaker, said its president, Byung Mo Ahn, has been appointed chief executive and president of its U.S. unit, replacing Len Hunt, who left the company.

DEALS: Kellwood reverses stance, takes offer

St. Louis —- Five months after a private investment company made a $542 million takeover bid for Kellwood Co., the apparel maker has agreed to accept the deal and recommend it to shareholders. Sun Capital Securities Group plans to acquire St. Louis-based Kellwood for $21 per share. Kellwood initially rejected Sun Capital's takeover bid in September but softened last month, saying it would allow shareholders to decide.

FINANCIAL: Incapital to buy bond underwriter

Charlotte —- Securities and investment banking firm Incapital LLC is acquiring LaSalle Broker Dealer Services Division in a deal that will join the two biggest underwriters and distributors of retail corporate bonds. Incapital said Monday it is buying the unit of LaSalle Bank Corp. from Charlotte-based Bank of America Corp., which purchased Chicago-based LaSalle for $21 billion last year. The joined companies will serve as the lead underwriter for nine of the 10 largest U.S. corporate retail bond issuers.

Rates mixed in Treasury auction

Washington —- Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills were mixed in Monday's auction. The Treasury Department auctioned $24 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 2.250 percent, up from 2.230 percent last week. Another $22 billion in six-month bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 2.080 percent, down from 2.160 percent last week. Separately, the Federal Reserve said Monday that the average yield for one-year Treasury bills, a popular index for making changes in adjustable-rate mortgages, fell to 2.08 percent last week from 2.23 percent the previous week.

FOOD / BEVERAGE: Germany raids chocolate makers

Berlin —- The German Federal Cartel Office has raided the offices of seven candy and chocolate makers amid allegations of a conspiracy to fix prices. Silke Kaul, a spokeswoman for the agency, said the companies —- including the German offices of Mars, Kraft and Nestle —- agreed at the beginning of the year to raise prices. The Cartel Office said it suspected a conspiracy to raise their prices higher than the increase in the price of raw materials, such as cocoa and nuts, would have indicated. If the Cartel Office finds evidence of collaboration, the companies face possible fines that could amount to 10 percent of their annual income.

REGULATORY: First-class stamps to go up May 12

First-class stamps will increase a penny to 42 cents on May 12, the U.S. Postal Service said Monday. The price of the Forever stamp will go up at the same time, meaning those stamps can still be purchased for 41 cents but will remain good for first-class postage after the rate increase takes effect. The post office has sold 5 billion Forever stamps since they were introduced last April and plans to have an additional 5 billion in stock to meet the expected demand before the May price change, the agency said.

TECHNOLOGY: Netflix votes for Blu-ray DVD format

Beverly Hills, Calif. —- Netflix Inc., the online movie rental company, said Monday it is switching exclusively to the Blu-ray format for high-definition DVDs, following four major movie studios in selecting the Sony technology over one pushed by Toshiba Corp. Toshiba and Sony have been vying to set the standard for high-definition DVDs for several years. The stakes are high because the winner will also get a boost in sales of DVD players needed to read the new format. Netflix has stocked both formats since they became available in 2006 but said the decision of four of the six major studios to issue films only in Blu-ray format made it likely that the Sony format will prevail.

Microsoft to buy cell software maker

Seattle —- Microsoft Corp. agreed Monday to buy cellphone software maker Danger Inc., strengthening its position in consumer mobile phones and building its defenses against a major Google Inc. initiative.

TELECOM: EU threatens mobile-phone firms

Brussels, Belgium —- A European Union official told mobile-phone operators Monday that their charges for wireless Internet and text messages must drop by July 1 to avoid EU intervention. "The EU cannot accept that mobile operators make up to 20 times more profit on roaming customers than on their domestic customers," EU Telecommunications Commissioner Viviane Reding said in a meeting with mobile-phone company chief executives in Barcelona, Spain. "To avoid regulation, the industry will have to show its responsiveness to consumer concerns by credible reductions."

T-Mobile wins OK to buy SunCom

Washington —- T-Mobile USA, the nation's fourth-largest cellphone carrier, has received federal approval for its $2.4 billion purchase of SunCom Wireless, a regional carrier that primarily serves the Southeast. SunCom, based in Berwyn, Pa., serves 1.1 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The companies announced the buyout in September.

TRANSPORTATION: Profit-sharing sets record at airline

Houston —- Continental Airlines Inc. said Monday it will pay a record $158 million in profit-sharing Thursday to employees based on the carrier's 2007 results. Houston-based Continental, the fourth-largest U.S. airline, said last month that its pretax earnings for last year rose 53 percent, to $566 million, and revenue increased 8 percent, to $14.23 billion. Last year, the company paid out $111 million in profit-sharing.