Business news in brief
In the Region
Sunoco parent closes deal
Energy Transfer Partners L.P., the Dallas energy giant that owns Sunoco, on Friday completed its $1.8 billion merger with Susser Holdings Corp., which operates 640 convenience stores in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, most under the Stripes brand. Susser shareholders approved the deal Thursday. According to ETP, the Stripes stores will complement the larger Sunoco network of 5,152 retail locations, mostly on the East Coast and in the Midwest. ETP said it expects to save $70 million a year from synergies. Susser will maintain its headquarters in Houston. - Andrew Maykuth
Ernst, Revel in court
Ernst & Young L.L.P., which is serving as Revel AC Inc.'s auditor and tax adviser during the Atlantic City casino's bankruptcy, agreed to return $100,000 of the $491,726 it received from Revel during the three months before Revel's June 19 bankruptcy filing. The settlement, disclosed in a court filing Thursday evening and part of an effort by unsecured creditors to gather money toward their claims, needs court approval. - Harold Brubaker
Hilcorp relents on drilling
Hilcorp has dropped its bid to force holdout property owners in Pennsylvania to accept drilling under their land, saying Friday the energy company wants to move beyond a protracted fight and begin producing oil and gas. The Houston-based company had sought to use a 1961 Pennsylvania law to drill under the property of a few holdout landowners in New Bedford, near the Ohio border north of Pittsburgh. The concept, known as "forced pooling," means people who do not sign leases get bundled in with those who do, to make drilling more efficient and compensate all the landowners. - AP
Elsewhere
Consumer index ticks up
The University of Michigan said Friday its index of consumer sentiment rose to 82.5 from 81.8 in July. The August level is only slightly higher than it was a year ago. Consumers have sent mixed signals in recent months. The August rise largely occurred among higher-income groups. - AP
Malaysian Airline cuts jobs
Malaysian Airline System Bhd., which lost two jetliners in air disasters this year, will eliminate 6,000 jobs as the national carrier restructures. The airline posted a sixth quarterly loss Thursday and said the full financial impact from the disasters will only be seen in the second half. The national carrier that traces its beginnings to the 1930s will cut its workforce to 14,000 from 20,000. - Bloomberg News