Hawai'i drivers saw a more than 50 percent jump in what they pay annually at the pump between 2006 and 2008, a study by the National Resources Defense Council showed.

The group found the average Hawai'i driver spent $2,102 on gasoline last year, or 56 percent more than the $1,349 paid just two years prior.

The study was done to determine which state's drivers are most vulnerable when it comes to average gasoline expenditure compared to income. Hawai'i motorists typically pay the highest average price for gasoline in the nation but at the same time drive less than their Mainland counterparts.

In Hawai'i drivers paid 5.2 percent of their income in 2008 for gasoline; that ranked 31st among states. That was up from 3.8 percent of income paid out in 2006, according to the report. Mississippi drivers paid the highest percentage of income for gasoline, spending 9.1 percent, or $2,702 annually. At the low end was Connecticut where drivers paid 3.24 percent of their income, or $1,825 annually.

CITICORP SEEKS FORECLOSURE SALE ON MALL

Lenders filed a motion in U.S. bankruptcy court seeking to force a foreclosure sale of a Mainland property owned by one of General Growth Properties Inc.'s subsidiaries, Bloomberg News Service reported yesterday.

Citicorp North America Inc. filed the motion in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, asking for permission to proceed with the foreclosure sale of the Oakwood Mall in Gretna, La. The mall is owned by Oakwood Shopping Center Ltd., one of General Growth's debtor units, according to court papers.

The debtor has no equity in the property because a recent appraisal shows it is worth less than the amount of the mortgage, Citicorp said. At the time of General Growth's Chapter 11 filing in April the "lenders were undersecured by more than $10 million" and the property is "now worth approximately $75.7 million," Citicorp said.

General Growth is the nation's second-largest mall operator; its Hawai'i properties include Ala Moana Center and Ward Centers.