The BBB of Northern Indiana has received calls from seniors saying a caller is identifying himself as the “Judiciary Department in Washington, D.C.” and needs the senior's bank account number and Social Security number for Medicare purposes. The seniors said that if they refuse to provide this information, the caller becomes rude and insulting. The caller tells them that they will be one of “50,000 seniors to lose their Medicare.”

RICHMOND, Va. — Circuit City Stores Inc. said Monday it is closing about 20 percent of its U.S. stores — cutting thousands of jobs — in an effort to return to profitability as it finds consumers reluctant to spend and its vendors less eager to give it credit.

The nation's No. 2 consumer electronics retailer said it will shut 155 of its more than 700 stores and leave at least a dozen markets entirely, including Phoenix and Atlanta, by Dec. 31. It will lay off about 17 percent of its domestic work force, which could affect up to 7,300 people.

Fort Wayne's store is not on the list of closures.

WASHINGTON — Banks tightened the spigots further on all sorts of lending, from home mortgages to credit cards and business loans, as the worst financial crisis in seven decades took a bigger toll on the economy.

The Federal Reserve said Monday that its latest quarterly survey of bank lending practices found high numbers of banks reporting tighter credit standards across a broad range of loan products. Nearly 60 percent of banks responding to the survey said they had tightened lending standards on credit card debt.