Local building owners know how all the dot-coms and relatedfirms have driven OC's commercial real estate market over the pastfew years. But lately, owners and brokers alike have become moreskeptical when such firms begin trolling for new space.

Just as Wall Street has punished many Internet firms for notturning a profit, devalued their stocks and made it difficult forthem to tap new sources of capital, so too have landlords tightenedtheir credit requirements. Many owners now ask to see not onlyfinancial statements, but also business plans and other informationonce off-limits to all but company insiders.

"The problem [with prospective dot-com tenants] is that youdon't know whether they will be around next year, let alone nextmonth," John Hall, a Lee & Associates broker, tellsGlobeSt.com. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what'sgoing on with the stock market."