Chiquita Brands International Inc. Wednesday posted a third-quarter loss of $38.2 million, or 56 cents a share.

        The loss included charges of $9 million for closure of some banana farms in Panama and another $3 million for the company's effort to restructure more than $800 million in debt.

        Chiquita had predicted a deal with bondholders sometime this fall, but did not predict an outcome Wednesday.

        There were some bright spots, as sales increased 9.2 percent to $508.7 million on higher banana prices in Europe. Chiquita should soon see the impact of more banana import licenses in Europe after the U.S. and European Union reached a deal this year to settle an eight-year trade battle.

        During the same quarter last year, Chiquita lost $53.7 million, or 87 cents a share, on sales of $465.8 million.

        In another report:

        • Convergys Corp.: The Cincinnati billing and customer care provider Wednesday reported higher operating results but sharply lower net earnings after restructuring charges.

        For the three months ended Sept. 30, Convergys reported net income of $3 million, or 2 cents a share, after $58 million in restructuring charges, versus net earnings of $47.6 million, or 27 cents a share, a year ago.

        Excluding the one-time charges mainly to close contact centers and eliminate jobs in its customer management group, Convergys said operating income increased 14 percent to $90.6 million in the quarter.

        Revenues increased 2 percent to $567.2 million from $553.5 million a year ago.

        Despite the slowing economy, Convergys said it expects earnings for the year between $1.24 to $1.26 a share. Next year the company said it expects earnings of $1.57 to $1.65 a share.

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