SOUTHLAND FOCUS

Costa Mesa-based home builder Standard Pacific Corp. agreed to buy construction company Writer Corp. for about $27.4 million in cash and stock to expand into the Colorado market. Standard Pacific will pay $3.42 per Writer share, 52% more than Writer’s closing price Friday, and assume about $27 million of Writer debt. Between 50% and 60% of the price will be paid in stock. Standard Pacific shares rose 31 cents to close at $9.31 on the New York Stock Exchange. The company primarily builds single-family homes and operates in California, Arizona and Texas. Englewood, Colo.-based Writer, a builder of townhomes and single-family houses, will operate under its own name as a Standard Pacific subsidiary.