Business Notes INVESTORS

The panic that set off the Black Monday stock-market plunge has faded, but for many investors the pain remains. To help those victimized by the crash, the North American Securities Administrators Association, an organization of state regulators, has set up a toll-free hotline number (1-800-942-9022). On the line are volunteer securities examiners, who tell callers how to contact the appropriate state regulator if they seem to have been duped by an unethical broker.

So far, the hot line has received 500 calls a day, or five times the number expected. A 55-year-old quadriplegic from Houston complained that her life savings of $30,000 disappeared because she had been talked into gambling on risky stock options. Several callers have been referred to mental-health professionals.