TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — State regulators have finalized agreements requiring additional property insurers to pay fines because of violating claims-handling laws after Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Idalia. Documents posted on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website show that agreements known as “consent” orders, which were signed in August, required American Mobile Insurance Exchange to […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers posted 7.2 million job vacancies in July as the American labor market continues to cool. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that job openings fell from 7.4 million in June and came in modestly below what economists had forecast. Healthcare and social assistance companies cut openings by 181,000 and retailers […]
NEW YORK — Most companies are making the same expensive mistake with AI. They buy the tools, set them up, and expect immediate results. But results don’t come from the technology alone. What matters is how well employees learn to use it. Studies show that generative AI could increase productivity by up to 40%, […]
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Question: Our condo board just passed a huge special assessment to fix the roof. I live on a fixed income and cannot afford to pay it. Is there anything I can do? — Ruth Ann Answer: Special assessments can be a financial challenge for condominium owners, especially when they come […]
NEW YORK — Mortgage rates moved a little lower this week, resuming the downward trend we’ve seen as summer ends. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell nine basis points to 6.59%, according to rates provided to NerdWallet by Zillow. A basis point is one one-hundredth of a percentage point. Current mortgage […]
WASHINGTON — In a sign of a soft housing market, single-family construction posted declines in nearly every geographic region in the second quarter of 2025, with the largest percentage drop of 3.8% occurring in large metro, suburban counties where most permit activity occurs. And while multifamily output also fell in large metro core counties, […]
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Consumer sentiment among Floridians rose for the third consecutive month in August, reaching its highest level in the past three years at 76.4 points, up 1.6 points from a revised figure of 74.8 in July. Similarly, national consumer sentiment also increased after four months of consecutive declines. “Floridians grew more optimistic […]
NEW YORK – Have you ever spotted little piles of what looks like sawdust along your baseboards? At first, it is easy to brush it off and think it is nothing serious. However, a few weeks later, a wooden window frame feels soft to the touch, and by then, drywood termites may have already […]
NEW YORK — Homeowners are cashing in on years of home equity gains, even as mortgage rates remain elevated. The trend sent cash-out home refinancing activity to a nearly three-year high in the April-June quarter, according to data from home loan data tracker ICE Mortgage Technology. In a cash-out refinance, a homeowner takes out […]
News & Media By Marla Martin ORLANDO, Fla. — The “best of the best” — that’s what nine Realtors® in communities across Florida now can claim, having recently earned their endorsement as a Florida Realtors Board Certified Professional. “Being a Florida Realtors Board Certified Professional means you’ve committed to the highest standards in our business – not […]
NEW YORK — Buying a home is a dream for many Americans, and one plenty of them have successfully realized. But what happens if that dream becomes a nightmare? For some homeowners, it may be: 22% of homeowners regret buying their current home, according to a June 2025 NerdWallet survey, conducted online by The […]
News & Media WASHINGTON — The University of Michigan released a report on Friday showing consumer sentiment in the U.S. deteriorated by slightly more than previously estimated in the month of August. The report said the consumer sentiment index for August was downwardly revised to 58.2 from the preliminary reading of 58.6. Economists expected […]