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As consumer demand for environmentally responsible products and services continues to grow, businesses can’t simply call themselves green - they must actually do their part. According to a survey by Manta, the largest website on and for small businesses, more than 90 percent of small businesses selling green products/services or implementing green practices in the workplace genuinely care about the environment. Forty-six percent of the 421 respondents also cited consumer demand as a major reason for “going green,” the second most popular reason for doing so. These results also suggest that green initiatives have become part of everyday business.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace is currently 4.9 percent, up two basis points from 4.88 percent compared to this same time last week. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate peaked last Friday at 4.98 percent before falling to 4.9 percent Saturday and remaining relatively level through Tuesday.

Bank of America announced findings from the latest Merrill Lynch Affluent Insights Quarterly, a survey of the values, financial priorities and concerns of affluent Americans and the opportunities and challenges they face. The third in this series of quarterly surveys examines how the affluent view and approach retirement, investing and their credit and liquidity needs differently during pivotal life stages.

According to a new survey by American Express, the majority of homeowners (53%) believe a seller’s market is two or more years away, yet investing in their current home remains a priority. In fact, 62 percent of homeowners plan to embark on home improvement projects in 2010 and spend an average of $6,200 on enhancements.

Neither record-breaking losses in 2008 nor a robust market rally in 2009 incentivized workers to put 401(k) retirement saving at the top of their priority lists last year, according to a new report from Hewitt Associates, a global human resources consulting and outsourcing services company. Workers were able to recover a significant portion of the losses they sustained in 2008 simply by participating in their 401(k) plan; however, it wasn’t enough to propel most plan balances back to their pre-recession levels.

While 2010 began with dismal financial security sentiments, Americans now feel more optimistic about nearly all aspects of their financial security. The COUNTRY Financial Security Index® increased 1.8 points in April to 64.9, recovering ground from a record-setting decline in February.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. increased 1.4 percent in March, following a 0.4 percent gain in February, and a 0.6 percent rise in January. The U.S. LEI is now at its highest level.

Housing is stabilizing but excess inventory and shadow supply are hindering recovery according to the April 2010 Economic Outlook released by Fannie Mae's Economics & Mortgage Market Analysis Group. The outlook projects economic growth of 3.1 percent for all of 2010, notwithstanding the recent dip in growth for the first quarter.

The economic recovery for the U.S. industrial sector is outpacing the national economy, according to new results from ThomasNet’s second Industry Market Barometer.

A significant majority of Americans believe that it will be small businesses and not government that will lead the nation out of recession. But when it comes to becoming an entrepreneur, two-thirds of Americans believe it is easier to climb Mt. Everest than to start a small business in America today, according to a survey by Wakefield Research, which was sponsored by Alibaba.com, the world’s largest e-commerce platform dedicated to helping small businesses growth and prosper.