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A new federal lawsuit asserts that state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s ability to divert claims disputes to state arbitrators is unconstitutional and must be stopped.

The complaint, filed on July 10 in U.S. District Court in Miami, seeks to prohibit the so-called insurer of last resort from enforcing a binding arbitration clause that the complaint says violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

In 2022, Citizens obtained approval from the Office of Insurance Regulation, and later from the Florida Legislature, to add a provision to all of its new and renewing policies allowing either Citizens or policyholders to move any claims disputes away from court and into binding arbitration.

Since 2024, more than 1,300 disputes have been submitted to the state Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH), which employs administrative law judges who preside over the cases, the division’s website shows.

But attorneys for plaintiffs say that it’s nearly always Citizens that refers disputes to arbitration, and a budget request approved last December by the company’s board of governors shows that Citizens plans to spend up to $19.3 million to have DOAH settle 320 cases a month through 2027. read more

By DAVID A. LIEB

Millions of people receive a federal tax deduction for the interest they pay on home loans. Under President Donald Trump’s new tax-cut law, many people for the first time also could claim a tax deduction for interest on their vehicle loans.

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The new tax break will be available even to people who don’t itemize deductions. But there are some caveats that could limit its reach. The vehicles must be new, not used. They must be assembled in the U.S. And the loans must be issued no sooner than this year, to list just a few qualifications. read more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN

Starbucks is requiring some remote workers to return to its headquarters and increasing the number of days that corporate employees are required to work in an office.

In a letter to employees posted on Monday, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol said corporate employees would need to be in the office four days a week starting in early October instead of three days a week.

The Seattle-based company said that all corporate “people leaders” must be based in either Seattle or Toronto within 12 months. That is a change from February, when it required vice presidents to relocate to Seattle or Toronto.

Starbucks said individual employees working under those leaders would not be asked to relocate. But the company said all hiring for future roles and lateral moves will require employees to be based in Seattle or Toronto.

“We are reestablishing our in-office culture because we do our best work when we’re together. We share ideas more effectively, creatively solve hard problems, and move much faster,” Niccol wrote in the letter. read more

The sprawling budget bill signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on July 4 after it squeaked through Congress has many far-reaching effects for consumers, as well as for the economy at large. Taxes top the list.

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  One Tech Tip: ‘Click-to-cancel’ is over, but there are other ways to unsubscribe

The almost 900-page “big, beautiful bill” has plenty to say about taxes, and an array of changes, new credits and deductions are part of the new bill. But at its heart, the bill is about extending the tax provisions passed under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, during Trump’s first administration. read more

By CORA LEWIS

NEW YORK (AP) — A “click-to-cancel” rule, which would have made it easier for consumers to end unwanted subscriptions, has been blocked by a federal appeals court days before it was set to go into effect. But there are ways to end those subscriptions and memberships, even if they take some work.

The rule would also have required companies to disclose when free trials and promotional offers would end and let customers cancel recurring subscriptions as easily as they started them. But even without the new federal guidance, here are some ways to stay on top of subscription and membership fees.

Use calendar reminders and regularly review your bills

Experts at the Consumer Federation of America recommend setting calendar reminders for whenever a free trial period ends, to alert yourself to cancel promotional offers before the real recurring costs kick in. The auto-enrollment process, in which the company does not remind the consumer via email that a trial is about to end and higher monthly payments will begin, was also at the heart of the FTC’s rule. read more