Spoil

Columbia Energy Group revealed last week that its defense against a hostile takeover by NiSource has become quite costly, reaching $9 million in pre-tax expenses during the third quarter. The company also took a $4 million pre-tax charge during the third quarter for restructuring its retail marketing operation. The two setbacks combined led to a net loss of $9.7 million (12 cents per share) during the quarter compared to net income of $11.2 million (13 cents per share) during the same period last year. The company reported income from continuing operations of $800,000, or 1 cent per share, compared to $12.2 million, or 14 cents/share in 3Q98.