REAL ESTATE

State Construction on the Upswing: Construction activity in California increased again last month, led by continued growth in the home-building sector, a real estate information service reported. Funding for construction projects totaled $951 million in August, up 13.7% from $836 million in July, and up 16.3% from $817 million for August last year, according to DataQuick Information Systems, a unit of Little Rock, Ark.-based Acxiom Corp. Construction loans have totaled $6.39 billion statewide so far this year, up 24.6% from $5.13 billion for the same period last year.