Don’t worry, but be wary.

I spoke today with the heads of both the state banking and credit union associations - about the data breach at Heartland Payment Systems – and they’ve got advice for consumers.

And it’s pretty much the same advice.

As you may have heard, Heartland has detected a breach in its security system. Criminal elements have hacked into data, and there have been reports that some accounts have been compromised.

Heartland provides processing services to merchants and service providers. The company has not released a list of the merchants whose customers may have been affected.

In the FAQ section of a new Web site established after the breach, the company says: “Heartland advises cardholders to examine their monthly statements closely and report any suspicious activity to their card issuers. Cardholders are not responsible for unauthorized fraudulent charges made by third parties.”

David Bennett of the Washington Credit Union League told me this afternoon that he has been in touch with his members, and that some “have confirmed that they have had to block and reissue cards.”

“Most credit union leaders believe that the effect during the initial days is just the ‘tip of the iceberg,’ and have already begun to notify members, block accounts, reissue cards and numbers and provide ongoing fraud monitoring,” he wrote in an earlier release.

The league is also working to get some legislation in Olympia to strengthen protections for consumers.

Jim Pishue, president and CEO of the Washington Bankers Association, said this afternoon that he was contacting all of his member banks. “We’re asking our bankers to report what they’ve done so far. I’m sure they’re monitoring the situation,” he said.

Both Bennett and Pishue offer the same advice, and it’s the same as Heartland offers. Monitor your credit card statements and debit card reports. If you have concerns, call the institution that issued the card.

Average home prices in Pierce County declined for the first time in two decades last year according to new statistics from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

Average prices dropped 8.69 percent in Pierce County last year to $284,277 compared with $311,339 in 2007.

Twenty years ago, the average Pierce County home sold for $109,901.

While home price averages had appreciated less than one percent during three of the last 20 years, they had never fallen below the previous year's average, listing service figures show.

Year-to-year percentage price increases peaked in 2004 when home prices on average in Pierce County bumped up 18.09 percent from 2003.

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Sea-Tac Airport, bucking a nationwide trend, broke its all-time passenger traffic record in 2008 handling nearly 32.2 million passengers.

That's a little more than 900,000 more than the airport handled in 2007, its previous record year, new figures from the airport show.

That 2.88 percent increase was in contrast to declines at many airports nationwide.

In San Jose, Calif., for instance, traffic was down nearly nine percent in 2008 prompting the airport to announce layoffs of 100 workers over the next year.

In Oakland, Calif., final numbers are expected to show a 30 percent decline in passenger traffic.

While Sea-Tac's full-year numbers showed a good performance, don't count on similar increases this year.

Much of those robust passenger numbers came in the first nine months of the year before the recession pushed the economy into reverse.

In December, Sea-Tac Airport figures show, passenger traffic declined 110,374 passengers over December 2007, a 4.3 percent drop.

Some of that drop may have been due to winter weather that closed the airport at times and impeded flights at others, but some undoubtedly occurred because travelers were being more conservative about both business and pleasure travel.

Sea-Tac's figures show that Alaska and its sister airline, Horizon, remained the top two carriers at Sea-Tac with combined share of about 50 percent of domestic passengers.

It's hardly a secret that airlines are cutting fares to attract customers during the economic slowdown, but this morning I saw some airfares that smack of desperation.

How about $117.40 roundtrip from Sea-Tac to Baltimore for $117.40 on Delta/Northwest?

That's just 26.5 percent of the fuel cost driving the 5,530-mile roundtrip in a car that gets 25 mpg using $2-a-gallon gas.

That's less expensive than the bargain fares to the San Francisco Bay area (about $120 roundtrip) or Los Angeles (about $159).

The trip includes a brief stopover in Detroit or Minneapolis, but even so, you get there is a little over seven hours. Compare that with the more than 42 hours of uninterrupted driving it would take to reach Baltimore from Tacoma not including snow-related delays, stops for meals and sleeping.

For people who still have money and are willing to spend it, vacation bargains abound.

Alaska Airlines is advertising $300 roundtrip airfares to most of its Mexican resort destinations, record low prices during the prime vacation winter months, and Farecast.com reports last minute roundtrip deals as low as $237 to Orlando within the next two weeks. That's $112 less than the average last minute lows on record.

Or Boston is available for as low as $238 roundtrip from Sea-Tac. And Amsterdam roundtrip fares are as little as $516 roundtrip, $690 off the average low.

Check Farecast for offer bargain fares from Sea-Tac. Just click on "Airfare deals" at the top of the page and then "Deals from origin cities" on the right side of the new page and select Seattle.

The Port of Tacoma Commission on Thursday named Clare Petrich as president. Other officers for 2009 were also elected.

Positions among commissioners rotate annually, so Petrich’s accession did not come as a surprise. She replaces Commissioner Dick Marzano, who will serve as assistant secretary for the remainder of the year.

Petrich was first elected in 1995 and reelected in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

In addition to her commission responsibilities, according to a release issued late Thursday afternoon, Petrich is secretary for the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle and serves on the board of directors for the Tacoma-Pierce County Convention and Visitors Bureau and on the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County. She is vice president of the Puget Sound Regional Council's Economic Development District Board and is a fellow of the American Leadership Forum.

Petrich also co-founded the Commencement Bay Maritime Fest and served as chair for Tall Ships Tacoma in 2005 and 2008.

She earned her undergraduate degree from Manhattanville College in New York and holds a master's degree from the University of Virginia.

Other positions announced Thursday:
• R. Ted Bottiger, vice president
• Don Johnson, secretary
• Connie Bacon, assistant secretary

In case you haven’t heard, the World Trade Center Tacoma is seeking a new executive director.

Here’s a look at a few of the particulars, according to an update I received late yesterday.

• Reporting to the board of directors, the Executive Director will optimize and build international business relationships and resources to increase the international trade competitive edge of Tacoma and Pierce County.
• The director will manage overall operations of the WTC – including administrative, financial and community relations functions.
• As well as serving as a spokesperson for WTC, the director will serve on committees and task forces and at events related to trade – all meant to enhance the image of the organization.
• Along with that, the director will manage programs, publications, communications, trainings, and seminars, as well as staff.
• And along with managing the operations, the executive director will celebrate the South Sound; communicate the importance of trade; develop the WTC Web site and build its position as the central contact for all international trade delegations coming to Pierce County.

The salary can range from $70,000 to $100,000, and the application process closes Jan. 30.

For more information, visit www.wtcta.org.