Gay couples have a harder time finding a place to rent together than straight couples, according to the first national housing study on the issue.

Released Tuesday, the report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that same-sex couples received fewer responses from rental agents than heterosexual couples when responding to online advertisements. Gay male couples have it more difficult than lesbian couples, according to the research.

“We need to continue our efforts to ensure that everyone is treated the same when it comes to finding a home to call their own, regardless of their sexual orientation,” Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan said in news release announcing the study.

VIDEO: Gay marriage supporters gather in West Hollywood

The study, titled "An Estimate of Housing Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples," was based on about 7,000 inquiries in 50 metro areas across the country, from June to October of 2011. With each rental unit surveyed by the...

On the eve of a Senate hearing on airline mergers, two senators are urging the Obama administration to carefully scrutinize the proposed merger of American Airlines and US Airways.

The merger, expected to close by September, would unite the third and fifth largest carriers, creating the country's biggest airline by total passengers served.

Once completed, the nation's four largest airlines would control about 70% of the national market.

In a letter to Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) urged the administration to make sure that the proposed merger does not rob consumers of reasonable fares and plenty of choices in airlines.

"Consolidation within the airline industry carries with it risks to consumer welfare that must be carefully considered," according to the letter.

On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on airline consolidation issues.

Klobuchar is the chair of the...

The Irvine-based chain will experiment first for five or six weeks in Dayton, Ohio, where it has roughly 40 stores.

The company, which has nearly 6,000 restaurants in the U.S., is looking at 2014 for a more wide-scale launch of the new menu and beverages.

The Power Protein menu features items that include more than 20 grams of protein but 450 calories or less. 

A burrito, for example, features a double portion of chicken or steak with 400 and 420 calories, respectively. A bowl with chicken has 270 calories, or 290 calories for a steak bowl.

The menu is already being offered at Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine and in the offices of its parent company Yum Brands Inc. in Louisville, Ky. There, the Power Protein options are among the best-selling items, Taco Bell Chief Executive Greg Creed said in a...

Student loan debt has nearly doubled in the last five years, posing a potential risk to the economy, according to a new report from Congress.

The information, released Tuesday by the Joint Economic Committee, found that student loans increased from $550 billion in late 2007 to just under $1 trillion in the first quarter of 2013.

Two-thirds of recent graduates have student loans, with an average balance of more than $27,000.

New borrowers could face additional costs in their higher education pursuits unless Congress acts to keep interest rates for federally subsidized Stafford loans from doubling from 3.4% to 6.8% for new loans starting July 1, the report said.

For students borrowing the maximum amount of these loans, this would increase the cost of their college education by $4,500.

"Allowing the interest rate on subsidized Stafford loans to double at a time when the government’s cost of borrowing is so low undermines the public policy objective of providing affordable loans to...

Aerospace giant Boeing Co. launched the stretched version of its 787 Dreamliner passenger jet Tuesday at the Paris Air Show, saying it received customer commitments for 102 airplanes.

The new plane, called the 787-10, will fly up to 8,055 miles with seating for 300 to 330 passengers. Boeing said that it can cover more than 90% of the world's twin-aisle routes between major cities.

PHOTOS: 50th International Paris Air Show

The new orders from five international customers represents an order sheet worth more than $29 billion at list prices. That’s welcome news for Boeing, which for most of the year has been facing a public relations nightmare with the 787.  

A smaller version of the plane, the 787-8, was in service with six airlines when it was grounded around the world for more than three months because of overheating incidents with the battery systems.

After Boeing redesigned the battery system, international aviation authorities cleared the 787 fleet for flight.

"Our ongoing...

The most expensive homes in the U.S. right now are priced well above the $100-million mark, according to a compilation assembled by Forbes.

Topping the list at $190 million is Copper Beech Farm on 50 acres in Greenwich, Conn. The 1980s French Renaissance-style home of 13,519 square feet sits on the waterfront.

In Los Angeles' Holmby Hills area, Owlwood is being shopped outside the Multiple Listing Service at $150 million. The storied 10-acre estate, with former owners including Sonny and Cher and Tony Curtis, is being marketed through the Agency in Beverly Hills.

PHOTOS: Malibu estate listed at $57.5 million

A 25-acre spread in Dallas with 42,500 square feet of living space is asking $135 million.

Condos also made the list of more than 30 residential properties priced at $60 million and above. A 9,000-square-foot duplex in Bloomberg Tower on Manhattan’s East Side is asking $115 million. At CitySpire in Midtown Manhattan, an 8,000-square-foot octagonal unit is being marketed at...

Playing sports can play a role in developing leadership skills for female executives, a survey from Ernst & Young found.

A report summarizing the surveys results, released Tuesday, found that 55% of women in executive and top management roles played sports at a university level, compared with 39% of other female managers.

The inquiry of 821 senior managers and executives at companies with annual revenues in excess of $250 million, found that almost three-quarters of women said people who engage in sports at some level or have done so work more effectively in teams than those who haven’t.

PHOTOS: Major retail controversies

The report “validates and underscores the fundamental role that participation in sports plays in developing women leaders,” said Beth Brooke, global vice chair of public policy, for Ernst & Young.

“Not only do the majority of senior women executives have sports in their background, they recognize that the behaviors and techniques learned...

Not only are the rich getting richer, but their numbers are growing and North America is home to most of them, according to a report from Capgemini and RBC Wealth Management.

The World Wealth Report, released Tuesday, found the global population of millionaires reached record levels in 2012 growing by 9.2%, or 1 million people, to reach 12 million after remaining flat in 2011.

Their wealth also increased by 10%, or $46.2 trillion, after declining 0.7% last year. The report attributes this to slow but stabilizing economic growth.

The figure is well above the pre-crisis level of $40.7 trillion in 2007 and previous high of $42.7 trillion in 2010.

PHOTOS: Major retail controversies

North America maintained its spot of being home to the most millionaires last year, growing by 11.5% or 3.73 million, the highest regional growth. As in the previous five years it holds the largest share of millionaires' investable wealth with $12.7 trillion in 2012, compared with $12 trillion for Asia-Pacific.

The Seattle coffee giant said Tuesday that it will note nutritional details on all its drink listings and in its pastry cases in every Starbucks store in the U.S. beginning June 25.

The company said the information is already available on its printed brochures and on its website and mobile app. At the chain, a Grande 16-oz. Caramel Macchiato with 2% milk has 240 calories.

Starbucks said it has allowed customers over the years to create more healthful options by offering sugar-free syrup with no calories or fat since 1997 and launching a beverage-customization option in 2003.

More recently, the chain has introduced bakery items without artificial flavors or dyes, cold-pressed juices under the Evolution Fresh brand and salad bowls with fewer than 450 calories each, it said.

P...

WASHINGTON -- Consumer prices rose in May for the first time in three months, but the increase was small and inflation over the past year remained tame, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

The consumer price index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.1% last month after dropping 0.4% in April and 0.2% in March. The so-called core inflation figure, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, rose 0.2% in May after a 0.1% rise the previous month.

Over the previous 12 months, prices rose 1.4% on all goods and 1.7% excluding food and energy costs.

Both are below the Federal Reserve's target of 2% annual inflation.

QUIZ: How much do you know about sequestration?

"Inflation has faded to only a minor irritant," said economist Michael Montgomery of IHS Global Insight. He noted that inflation was running about 2% last year.

Gasoline prices were flat last month after dropping sharply the previous two months, but overall energy costs were up because of a 0.8% increase in electricity prices and a 2.4%...

Home builders ramped up construction in May, providing an economic boost while they sought to take advantage of an improving housing market defined by low inventory.

Housing starts increased 6.8% from revised April figures to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 914,000, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. That was 28.6% higher than May 2012. 

The faster rate of construction was attributable primarily to an increase in multi-family construction. Building of single-family homes barely rose, ticking up 0.3%. The housing start numbers, while up, were lower than economists polled by Bloomberg News had expected.

Building permits, an indication of future construction, dropped 3.1% from April, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 974,000. Economists had expected a decline after building permits soared to a multi-year high in April.

The rate of building permits was still higher than a year earlier, though, and single-family-home permits hit a five-year high.

Housing starts fell month-...

Aetna Inc. said it would stop selling individual health insurance policies in California next month, and nearly 50,000 existing policyholders will have to find new coverage by January.

The company's announcement Monday comes a month after it opted not to participate in California's new state-run insurance market for consumers, a key component of the new federal healthcare law.

Aetna was a distant fourth in the state's individual health market with a 5.2% market share in 2011, according to Citigroup data. Anthem Blue Cross, Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield of California dominate that business with a collective 87% market share in the state.

Aetna said it would continue to sell health plans in California to small and large employers as well as offer products related to Medicare, dental and life insurance. A company spokeswoman said it was "fully committed to serving the needs of our 1.5 million members in the state."

The company said it expected to have about 49,000 individual...