Gross domestic product (GDP) in the United States increased at an annualized rate of 3.5 percent last quarter, according to an advance estimate from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Economists surveyed by Econoday anticipated a growth rate of 3.0 percent. The GDP report comes a day after the Federal Reserve announced plans to close down its stimulative bond-buying program, signaling increased confidence in the economy's progression.

Dan Kenshalo has joined Black Knight Financial Services as the head of the Data & Analytics division’s Innovation Laboratory, the company announced.

The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index, which fell to a revised reading of 89 in September, surged back up to 94.5 in the group's latest report. The recovery came mostly from a spike in the consumer expectations component, which jumped nearly nine points to 95, the Conference Board reported. The Present Situation Index, meanwhile, edged up to 93.7 from 93 in September.

According to the company's volume summary, Freddie Mac's total portfolio grew last month at an annualized rate of 2.2 percent, bringing the year-to-date average growth rate to -1.1 percent. The only other time the portfolio came up positive this year was in July, when it expanded at a rate of just 0.1 percent.

According to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau, the homeownership rate last quarter fell to 64.4 percent, down 0.3 percentage points from Q2 and nearly a full percentage point from the same quarter last year. The last time homeownership in the country was this low was in the first quarter of 1995.

Out of San Antonio, diversified financial services firm SWBC announced the launch of SWBC Lending Solutions, a new provider of end-to-end offerings for the financial services industry.

The American Enterprise Institute's (AEI) National Mortgage Risk Index, released Monday by the group's International Center on Housing Risk, rose to 11.43 percent in September, little changed from the revised average of the previous three months and nearly 1 percentage point higher than a year ago. In keeping with recent trends, the index measuring risk for FHA loans was the highest, sitting at 23.99 percent.

On a monthly basis, the S&P Case-Shiller National Index showed a non-seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent increase from July to August, down from a 0.6 percent improvement in the July report. The narrower 10- and 20-city indices posted the same results, ticking up 0.2 percent each. Adding in seasonal adjustments, the picture for August is mixed.

Based on data from August real estate transactions, Black Knight Financial Services' Home Price Index (HPI) edged up just 0.1 percent from July, remaining nearly flat at $242,000. August's rate of appreciation was half of July's already slow 0.2 percent gain in prices. Annually, the index was up 4.9 percent from last year compared to a gain of 5.1 percent in July.

Freddie Mac's Multi-Indicator Market Index (MiMi) slipped 0.19 percent from July to a reading of 73.3 in August, the company reported. With the drop, the index's three-month measure showed a 0.47 percent decline. Despite August's headline decline, analysts at Freddie Mac say the MiMi is showing promising trends, especially at the local level.