CHICAGO - RCT in Chicago and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Ltd. in New York have agreed to share data to provide weekly reports showing changes in chain store sales and retail customer traffic that will provide clients with relationship analyses. Some of the reports contain information about: peak visitor summary, total visitor comparison, visitors per square foot and weekly visitor penetration. The companies will also provide a "Monthly Mall Monitor Report."

The reports currently provide information to retailers, mall developers, industry analysts, and advertisers and corporate sponsors. Data will be delivered by RCT's National Retail Traffic Index (NRTI) and by Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi's "Weekly Chain Store Sales Snapshot."

SAN FRANCISCO - By a 3-to-2 margin, potential voters think Democratic Vice President Al Gore is more concerned about the nation's affordable housing problem than Republican presidential contender George W. Bush. Those are the results of a recent poll that asked 800 registered voters which candidate they believe would be more sensitive to the low-income housing shortfall and would make more of an effort to solve the problem if elected. Forty-eight percent of the respondents chose Gore, while 32% selected Bush. Sponsored by Novogradac & Company LLP, a San-Francisco-based accounting and consulting firm that specializes in affordable housing issues, the poll was conducted by Alexandria, Va.-based Public Opinion Strategies.