Personal Finance

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced on July 28, 2026, that its Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration will end after calendar year 2026, removing a subsidy that reduced average monthly standalone drug plan premiums by $26 in 2025 and $16 in 2026 for roughly 24.9 million enrollees. CMS has set the 2027 base beneficiary premium benchmark at $41.33, but individual plan premiums will not be known until the agency releases its landscape file in mid-to-late September, with open enrollment running October 15 through December 7. The program cost an estimated $9.8 billion across its two years, and while CMS expects most enrollees to see increases below $10 per month, that figure is an attributed expectation rather than a guaranteed ceiling.

A federal court in San Diego is scheduled to hold a Final Fairness Hearing on August 21, 2026, to decide whether to approve a $2.25 million settlement resolving allegations that Bank of America charged customers duplicate out-of-network fees for a single balance inquiry at FCTI-owned ATMs inside 7-Eleven stores between May 2018 and November 2021. Current accountholders identified as class members need no action to receive a pro-rata credit if the settlement is approved, while the deadline for former accountholders to file claims passed on June 29, 2026. The per-person payment amount cannot be determined yet, as it depends on final deductions for attorneys' fees of up to 30%, administration costs, and the total number of eligible participants.

The MBA's weekly mortgage applications report for the week ending August 8, 2026, had not appeared on the association's official index as of the 4:04 a.m. EDT research cutoff, leaving current demand figures unavailable. The most recent available data, covering the week ending July 31, showed total application volume down 2.9% and the 30-year fixed conforming rate at 6.81%, its highest in over a year. When the August 8 release posts, the key figures to watch are the Purchase Index, the Refinance Index, and the contract rate relative to that elevated baseline.

The most recent Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey placed the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 6.69% and the 15-year at 6.01% for the week ending August 6, 2026. The 30-year rate rose 3 basis points from the prior week and sits 6 basis points above the same period last year, while the 15-year fell 3 basis points week-over-week but remains 26 basis points higher year-over-year. Updated figures covering the following week are scheduled for release Thursday, August 13, at noon ET.