• by March 2, 2002

In a dramatic slowdown from the month of January, just $400 million in media accounts changed hands in February, according to the MAP Barometer.

The single largest publicized media account shift in February was MCI Worldcom, which moved its $100 million media account to Deutsch N.Y. from Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG.

Other major account switches included Heineken ($80 million), which reassigned its media to MediaVest from Lowe & Partners Worldwide, and Payless ShoeSource, which moved its $50 million account to Mediaedge:CIA from Barkley, Evergreen & Partners.

In January, advertisers moved 24 media accounts totaling a whopping $2 billion in billings to new agencies, according to the MAP Barometer .

"The dam broke in January because of a slew of account review activity that had begun in 2001," said Jim Surmanek, CEO of MediaAnalysisPlus, which publishes the MAP Barometer. "Last month, the deluge subsided considerably."