We are into the middle of summer and a few business-related, COVID-19 observations are worth noting. In Delaware, the construction industry never idled while many other industries limited operations or closed. Given the number of people employed in construction and the accumulated hours those men and women have worked over the past five months, it’s important to note that very few businesses report virus positives. Is it the safety steps those businesses took, the "open air" environment that is common for many jobs, both, or something else? Even hospital workers, frequently exposed to virus-positive patients, seldom caught the virus. This can be attributed to PPE, dedication to smart safety precautions, and building or modifying best practices. There is much to be said that is positive about safety in the workplace.

Today we focus on company numbers 17 and 18 on the CNBC Disruptor/50 list:

Lemonade: Lemonade co-founders Daniel Schreiber and Shai Wininger created their New York City-based business model to eliminate the conflict of interest between insurers and the insured. It offers insurance — powered by AI, chatbots and behavioral economics — to renters and homeowners. Customers are guided by a chatbot through the application process in under a minute, and claims get paid that quickly as well. It charges renters a monthly subscription rate of $5 and homeowners a monthly rate of $25. Learn more >

Root Insurance: Tech start-ups have flooded into the insurance industry, promising consumers an easier and faster process. Among the newer firms is Root Insurance, which uses smartphone technology for car insurance. Rather than rely on historically biased demographic data to determine rates, Root’s mobile-first technology enables everyone with a smartphone to get a rate based primarily on their driving behavior. Credit score, Zip code and even driving history have less to do with Root’s rating, enabling low-income, immigrant and young drivers, who have traditionally been placed in high-risk pools through no fault of their own, to escape the punishing rates that can significantly impact their lives. Root claims it can save drivers up to 52% on their car insurance. Learn more >

We start the week on Monday with NAHB home builders' index August data. Tuesday brings us housing starts and building permits figures from July. On Thursday we will see early August jobless claims and Philly Fed index data. We wrap up the week on Friday with existing home sales information from July.