Financial/Banking

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack said Monday its chairman and CEO Julian Day is leaving and announced disappointing fourth-quarter guidance. Day, 57, will retire as chairman, CEO and a director as of its annual shareholder meeting on May 16.

The company brought on former investment banker Day -- best known for pulling Kmart out of bankruptcy -- as chairman and CEO in 2006 to help turn around results.

San Jose, Calif. -- Grubb & Ellis Co. announced that Robert Cook has joined the company as senior VP corporate services, based in the company’s San Jose office. 

Beachwood, Ohio -- Developers Diversified Realty Corp. announced a new gift-card partnership with MasterCard Worldwide in Puerto Rico.

The MasterCard program, called the Isla Plus Card, represents an extension of a significant, long-term partnership between the two companies in Puerto Rico. The Isla Plus Card is designed to promote even greater acceptance among merchants and consumers, and provide the flexibility consumers demand in gift-card programs.

Activist investor and hedge fund executive Bill Ackman has accomplished at J.C. Penney what he was unable to do at Target. He secured a seat on the department store retailer’s board after purchasing a bunch of shares and will now be able to push for strategies to increase shareholder value. Joining Ackman on the J.C. Penney board is another large shareholder, Steven Roth, chairman of Vornado Realty Trust.

New York City -- After filing for Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy in September, then winning an extension until Feb. 4 to file its restructuring plan to emerge from bankruptcy, Blockbuster now has until March 21 to file the plan and until May 20 to round up enough votes among its creditors for approval.  

Judge Burton R. Lifland of U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan granted the extension Wednesday.

ATLANTA -- First Data Corp. announced that it has entered into an agreement with Kohl’s Department Stores to provide payment processing services for the company’s private brand credit card accounts.

Little Rock, Ark. -- In a regulatory filing on Wednesday Dillard's said it plans to form a real estate investment trust, with the objective of improving liquidity.

According to the department store retailer, various company entities will transfer interests in properties to the REIT, which will then lease the properties back to them.

"Dillard's believes the formation of a REIT may enhance its ability to access debt or preferred stock and thereby enhance its liquidity," the filing said.

Wal-Mart Stores earlier this week denied rumors that it would consider opening banks in Chile and Argentina.

The reports are “completely untrue,” Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin Gardner told Bloomberg in an e-mailed response to questions.