CEOs with Simon Property, Duke Realty Corp. and Interactive Intelligence Inc. report that their companies are taking an uncharacteristically cautious approach to acquisitions and investments, given the faltering economy.

DBSI, an Idaho real estate firm with 250 properties worth $2 billion faces a class-action suit. Some of its properties and investors are in Indianapolis.

Over the years, the city has made a name for itself by hosting a handful of large conventions and a bevy of small and midsize gatherings.  But as companies and other organizations tighten their belts, the number of conventions held nationwide is expected to shrink in the months ahead.

The Indiana Pacers are ratcheting up sales and marketing initiatives while cutting costs elsewhere in an effort to simultaneously ride out the economic storm and boost attendance. The team has little hope of being profitable this year-or even breaking even, said Pacers President Jim Morris, but he added that within three years the franchise's financial status should be much improved.

The big debt payments on the $1.1 billion midfield terminal at Indianapolis International Airport start coming due in January--just as a recession hits and the battered airline industry cuts capacity. Despite the likely prospect of fewer passengers than projected in the next year or two, airport managers say they don't anticipate problems shouldering the roughly $40 million a year in debt burden over the next 30 years for the new facility.

Charter Homes recruited and paid buyers to take out inflated mortgages on dozens of central Indiana homes it built, promising to manage the properties as rentals and make payments for the owners, current and former Charter business partners say.