Profits up at health insurers vs. More Mass. Homes face foreclosure in Jan. vs. Signs point to bumps in the recovery
Capitalizing on fewer people seeking medical care and submitting claims, Massachusetts four biggest commercial health insurers posted sharply higher earnings for 2011 while their executives collected more pay. Leading the pack was Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts which earned a net income more than 10 times the $13.4 million it earned in 2010.
In January, 1,333 homeowners, or 68% more than during January 2011, received notice from lenders that were going into foreclosure. The rise in foreclosures comes despite a drop in the number of delinquent mortgages and a slowly improving economy. “There’s still no real remedy for the fact that a lot of people have lost income and don’t have the means to keep up, lenders really doesn’t want to help.”
Steady declines in applications for unemployment aid, American’s after-tax income fell, a fourth straight month of weak consumer spending, manufacturing growth slowed, construction spending dipped, consumers hit with higher gas prices and the building industry cooled off after five months of gains.
Three articles from The Boston Globe, March 2, 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment