According to the Washington Post and realty company, Redfin, nearly one-third of homes purchased in 2022 were all-cash deals! Questions: Source: Martinez, E., K. Schaul, and H. Shaban. (2023). See how many all-cash buyers snagged houses in your neighborhood. The Washington Post, Feb. 9 (Retrievable online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2023/all-cash-buyers-housing-market/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f004)
Posts Tagged: contracts
Ditching Twitch
Some of the biggest names in gaming are leaving Twitch for extremely lucrative contracts, according to CNN. Questions: What is Twitch? What are gamers doing instead of staying with the platform that has brought them fame? What tech platforms are luring these gamers? How much revenue has the online video gaming industry earned in 2019?… Read more »
Impending Decision
According to the Washington Post, FedEx has decided not to renew an important domestic contract that may affect express delivery of Santa’s presents. Questions: What issue does this decision highlight? What percentage of FedEx’s revenue did Amazon’s business provide? What type of reliance does Amazon have with FedEx? What type of history does Amazon have… Read more »
ER Bill Surprise!
New data suggests that EmCare, now one of the nation’s largest physician-staffing companies for emergency rooms, is showing a disturbing pattern. In the case of a small Spokane, Washington hospital, the number of patients coded as having billing for the most complex, expensive level of care quadrupled after the hospital contracted for services through EmCare…. Read more »
The new CFPB rule
On July 10, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a controversial rule to prevent companies from using arbitration clauses to stop litigation over customer complaints. Questions: 1. Many of these clauses have been related to credit card or banking customer contracts. If consumers don’t agree with the arbitration, why haven’t they filed class action… Read more »
May all your Wishes Come true!
Donald Trump met with Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son and soon news of 30,000 to 50,000 new U.S. manufacturing jobs were part of Trump’s boasts. Now Taiwanese manufacturer, Foxconn, appears to be reneging on claims that it is preparing to build a $7 billion factory in the U.S. Questions: 1. How did Foxconn’s chief executive officer,… Read more »
Here we Go Again! Contracts for Deed!
In the 1930s through the 1960s, most African-Americans could not get mortgages. This was because the U.S. government deemed neighborhoods where they lived ineligible for federal mortgage insurance, which was the Depression-era innovation that made mortgages widely affordable. As a result, hucksters moved in and peddled homeownership through contracts for deed, where the home seller… Read more »
Arbitration Lurks in the Fine Print
In this article, the New York Times found that arbitration rules tend to favor businesses, and judges and juries have been replaced by arbitrators who commonly consider the companies to be their clients. According to the authors, this has created an alternative justice system with conflicts of interest. Questions: 1. What types of claims are… Read more »
Impending Huge Penalties!
The Kansas Supreme Court found that FedEx drivers were illegally misclassified as independent contractors from the late 1990s through 2011, despite being treated as employees. According to Alan Pyke, FedEx set contract agreements with delivery and pickup drivers in order to avoid the higher costs associated with making the drivers full employees. Questions: 1. What… Read more »
Lose-Lose and Win-Win: Time for Change
Most airline tickets are nonrefundable and require a hefty change fee plus any fare differential. And many hotel rooms are totally nonrefundable and nonchangeable, so you could lose the entire value of your room. So why isn’t it the same policy when the airlines or hotel changes your arranged plans? As this article points out,… Read more »