Home insurance companies may use aerial images to drop policies
By Sarah Schlichter | NerdWallet
It’s a notice no homeowner wants to get: Your insurance company has decided not to renew your policy, effective in 30 days. The reason? Based on aerial photos of your home, your roof is in poor condition.
NBCUniversal technology hub leans heavily into Orlando themes
When the Golf Channel left Orlando in 2019, it left an empty space, literally.
Since then, NBCUniversal has converted those studios and other spaces on Golf Channel Drive near Sand Lake and Kirkman roads into a sports and entertainment technology hub. The building recently finished a refurbishment that goes all-in on shout-outs to the City Beautiful.
Six businesses, divided into two groups, are part of the hub. Under the Sports Next umbrella are GolfNow, an online tee time service; GolfPass, a membership to improve golf games; and SportsEngine, a youth sports-team management technology.
On the Fandango side are the namesake movie ticketing service, its at-home streaming option called Fandango at Home, and Rotten Tomatoes, a site populated with entertainment reviews.
“We are connecting people to their passion,” Will McIntosh, president of NBC Sports Next and Fandango, said Wednesday during a tour of their facilities. “That passion could be movies with Fandango. That passion could be golf. That passion could be your kids that play recreational sports.”
MSC Cruises to bring a 2nd ship to Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral’s cruise ship plate is getting bigger with the announcement Thursday that MSC Cruises will bring in a second ship for the first time starting next year.
MSC Grandiosa will begin seven-night Caribbean itineraries in December 2025 for the winter sailing season while MSC Seashore remains, but sailing short three- and four-night Bahamas sailings to Nassau and the cruise line’s private island Ocean Cay.
It’s the largest MSC ship yet to sail from the port. The Meraviglia Plus-class vessel is among the top 20 largest cruise ships worldwide at 181,541 gross tons and a maximum passenger capacity of 6,334. It debuted in 2019 and features a water park, five pools, nine hot tubs, spa, the MSC Yacht Club exclusive area and a Lego partnership in its kids clubs.
One of the more dramatic features is the 323-foot-long Galleria Grandiosa promenade with an LED projection screen over the length of the walkway. The ship features 10 restaurants including the Butcher’s Cut steakhouse, Hola! Tacos & Cantina, Kaito Sushi, Kaito Tepanyaki and L’Atelier Bistrot.
Pictures: NBCUniversal Orlando headquarters renovation
Supreme Court sides with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, spurning a conservative attack
By MARK SHERMAN (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a conservative-led attack that could have undermined the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The justices ruled 7-2 that the way the CFPB is funded does not violate the Constitution, reversing a lower court and drawing praises from consumers. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion, splitting with his frequent allies, Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, who dissented.
The CFPB was created after the 2008 financial crisis to regulate mortgages, car loans and other consumer finance. The case was brought by payday lenders who object to a bureau rule that limits their ability to withdraw funds directly from borrowers’ bank accounts. It’s among several major challenges to federal regulatory agencies on the docket this term for a court that has for more than a decade been open to limits on their operations.
The CFPB, the brainchild of Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, has long been opposed by Republicans and their financial backers. The bureau says it has returned $19 billion to consumers since its creation.