Nicholas Financial of Clearwater may sell

Clearwater's Nicholas Financial, a 64-branch, publicly traded company specializing in auto financing and consumer lending, said it has hired the financial advisory firm Janney Montgomery Scott to consider its options that may include selling the business. The company also said it has received early interest from a potential buyer. Nicholas Financial's earnings last quarter slipped 15 percent from a year ago. The company's market value at the close of Wednesday was $160 million.