Having obtained Cord Camera Centers Inc. properties in Ohiothrough receivership last summer, Genworth Financial has placed theassets on the market for lease or sale. Cassidy Turley is marketingthe retailer's four stores, along with its former headquarters andwarehouse at 2030 Dividend Dr. in Columbus, OH.

The offering represents an uptick in distress-related deals upfor sale in the area, where a growing number of retail, apartmentand office assets have fallen into trouble. "In the past three tofour months there's definitely been an increase in defaulted andbankrupt properties," says Kevin James, a vice president at CassidyTurley, who is representing Genworth along with Micha Bitton, KevinMcGrath, Mike Hurd and Rick Trott. "Most people thought it wasgoing to start last year, but it's really starting in the firstquarter of this year."

According to Real Capital Analytics, there has been a noticeablegrowth in distressed commercial properties throughout Ohio inrecent months, with a tally of more than $3 billion worth oftroubled assets as of the end of February. That compares to $1.4billion for the same period in the previous year, according to RCA.Still, Ohio maintains a negligible amount of distressed propertiescompared to the rest of the country.