Consumers were a little miffed in February, according to the latest Reuters/University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, which dropped to 74.3 during the month, against the expectations of economists predicting another rise.

A tide of foreclosures in the wake of the robo-signing settlement is now conventional wisdom among economists and others who track the drab state of the housing, but according to the latest numbers from RealtyTrac, the tide isn’t rising quite yet.

The greater Las Vegas residential market has long been one of the poster children for the housing depression–pretty much since day one of the crisis, in fact.

Retailers had a good month in February as Americans were out shopping in force, driving total retail sales up 1.1 percent, which was the highest uptick in five months, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The U.S. government filed formal settlement papers in federal court regarding the massive mortgage lending abuse case, thus breaking down which of the five miscreant mortgage lenders pays how much.

The U.S. private sector carried the entire load of creating jobs in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday, with private payroll employment increasing by a net of 233,000 positions.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday that the economy created 227,000 jobs in February, which is strong but somewhat less strong than during January, which saw a hiring environment that created 243,000 jobs.

In the most closely watched private employment estimate, payroll specialist ADP Employer Services reported on Wednesday that the U.S. private sector added 216,000 jobs in February.