HOUSTON-Kaiser Aluminum is in the midst of rebuilding and upgrading a Louisiana facility that sustained extensive damage in a 1999 explosion. Reconstruction costs are setting the Houston-based corporation back $275 million.

FT. WORTH-It's a well-known fact in the metroplex that the Hillwood team gathers in its lobby and rings a ranch-hand's dinner bell each time a big deal is signed. This year, the bell's ringing a lot. The latest lease, 228,000 sf, could push Hillwood over its all-time record.

NEW YORK CITY-Chase further demonstrates its desire for additional space despite speculation that a merger with J. P. Morgan would spell closings of office and retail space as the company now signs a lease at 280 Broadway.