A quick change at the top: Undersecretary Drew Maranto has been named interim secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, following the retirement of Michael Harrington. Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to appoint a permanent secretary in the coming weeks. Maranto joined LDH in January 2024 as chief of staff and was promoted to undersecretary in June. Harrington, who also came aboard in January as undersecretary, was elevated to secretary in June with the understanding that his tenure would be short-lived ahead of retirement. Read the full announcement.
New name, same mission? JPMorgan Chase is renaming its diversity, equity and inclusion initiative to “Diversity, Opportunity & Inclusion,” or DOI. The change is meant to reflect a shift in tone, according to Chief Operating Officer Jenn Piepszak, who told employees Friday, “because the ‘e’ always meant equal opportunity to us, not equal outcomes, and we believe this more accurately reflects our ongoing approach to reach the most customers and clients to grow our business.” Read more from Bloomberg. A subscription may be required.
A surprising bounce: Sales of previously owned homes rose 4.2% in February from January on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, defying analyst forecasts of a 3% drop. While sales were still 1.2% lower compared to February 2023, the uptick indicates resilience in the housing market despite high interest rates. Read more from CNBC.
