The hidden expense that's sucking $74 billion out of the economy

Rising home and car insurance costs could cause many Americans' budgets to crack — and hamstring the driving force behind the US economy.

Kiersten Essenpreis for Business Insider

On Lyndale Street in the Logan Square neighborhood of downtown Chicago sits a six-unit condo building. The rather average building is home to more than a dozen residents, a mix of professional couples and families with kids. Everyone in the small community pays homeowners-association fees to cover building improvements...