The cost of protecting Alltel Corp.'s bonds from default has doubled over the past two weeks, signaling some investors may be concerned Verizon Wireless will abandon its purchase of the rural mobile-phone company, reports Bloomberg News.

Credit-default swaps on Little Rock, Arkansas-based Alltel climbed to 226.8 basis points today from 113.4 points on Sept. 25, according to CMA Datavision in New York. The swaps traded at 91.6 basis points June 6, a day after Verizon agreed to buy Alltel for $5.9 billion in cash and $22.2 billion in debt.

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