As the coronavirus outbreak claims lives, jobs and mental health, Americans are asking big questions about the post-pandemic world. Will we work from home more? Will it be safe to travel? To go to theaters and restaurants and gyms? Should I finally get around to writing my will? But just as important are the shifts for businesses and financial markets. The coronavirus trauma will remake everything from national productivity to how much Americans participate in the stock market DJIA, -0.35%...

A federal flood insurance program that’s the only option for many homeowners in areas threatened by water damage was extended Tuesday with none of the reforms many observers call necessary. The Senate voted to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program for four months even though a broad group of environmentalists, housing industry participants, and advocates of lean government all want to see big changes to the program. The NFIP, which is administered by the Federal Emergency...

As interest rates rise, fewer households refinance their mortgages. And the refinances that do get done are often very different than those initiated during low-rate periods. “When rates are low, the primary goal of refinancing is to reduce the monthly payment,” wrote researchers for the Urban Institute in a recent report. “But when rates are high, borrowers have no incentive to refinance for rate reasons. Those who still refinance tend to be driven more by their desire to cash out.” “Cashing...

Good schools, a convenient commute, low taxes ... the list of things home buyers want in a community are fairly familiar. But there’s another feature that real-estate agents and the buyers and sellers they serve may start to consider just as critical. Thanks to the annual Dog Park Rankings from the Trust for Public Land, it’s easy to see how parks for pets are becoming increasingly, ahem, pupular — and which cities have the most of them. There are now 774 dog parks in the 100 biggest metro...

Jill Comfort, a Phoenix-area Realtor, had a good feeling about the cream-colored stucco house she planned to show her client, a young man relocating to the city from California. It was in his budget, in the right location, and had a huge pool and back yard that would allow him to entertain. It also had multiple surveillance cameras that recorded everything that went on as prospective buyers walked through. “When we were walking out of the hallway we could see they were following us,” Comfort...