* Cendant Corp., owner of the Avis...

* Cendant Corp., owner of the Avis rental car , said it no longer will pay base commissions to North American travel agents on certain car rentals. The move, which will mostly affect U.S. and Canadian corporate and government accounts with individually negotiated rate agreements, comes two days after similar action by Ford Motor Co.’s Hertz.

* A man fired from Global Crossing was indicted on federal charges of identity theft and for allegedly posting threats against former co-workers on the Internet. A grand jury returned a nine-count indictment against Steven William Sutcliffe, 41. The indictment alleges Sutcliffe, who worked in the company’s Beverly Hills office for about a month, created a Web site and posted photographs and threats on it. The four threat charges each carry a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. Identity theft carries a maximum 15-year sentence.

* Dell Computer Corp. Chief Financial Officer James Schneider is urging employees to hold fewer Dell shares in their retirement accounts, after Enron Corp. workers lost millions when the energy trader collapsed. About 58%, or $623 million, of the 401(k) retirement plan for workers at the world’s largest personal computer maker is invested in the Dell Computer Corp. Stock Fund.