Data

A report released Thursday by FDIC showed that federally insured institutions earned $40.2 billion and increased loan and lease balances by $178.5 billion (to $8.1 trillion) in the second quarter. The boost in lending was the largest quarterly increase since the fourth quarter of 2007.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported that gross domestic product (GDP) grew last quarter at an annualized rate of 4.2 percent, a little bit better than the 4.0 percent growth originally recorded in last month's initial estimate. Economists had expected no change from the first report.

Colorado's unemployment rate dropped to 5.3 percent in July, and the state's real gross domestic product (GDP) grew at a rate of two points faster than the national average in 2013, according to a recent report from Wells Fargo's Economics Group. Where housing recovery is concerned, however, Colorado's struggles mirror those of the country as a whole, according to Wells Fargo.

Having hit their lowest level of 2014 last week, mortgage rates barely budged in the latest market report from Freddie Mac. The company reported Thursday the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) was 4.10 percent (0.5 point) for the week ending August 28, unchanged heading into the Labor Day holiday.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Thursday a 3.3 percent monthly increase in its Pending Home Sales Index for July, putting the index at 105.9. With July's increase, the index has now risen for four of the last five readings, seeing a slight retreat in June. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said sales activity benefited from increasingly favorable conditions for buyers in the housing market.

FHFA's seasonally adjusted House Price Index rose 0.4 percent on a monthly basis in June, matching May's rate of growth. The agency also included quarterly comparisons in its June index, finding that home prices were up only 0.8 percent from the first quarter to the second—the first time quarterly price growth has been below 1 percent since early 2012.

Freddie Mac's Multi-Indicator Market Index (MiMi) rose 0.04 percent from May to June, ending the year's first half at a reading of 73. "As we see the economy slowly normalizing we're starting to see its effects in the housing market as well, albeit very slowly," said Freddie Mac Chief Economist Frank Nothaft. "The good news is the big housing markets, of which some were also the hardest hit, continue to improve."

According to Zillow's latest Negative Equity Report, high negative equity among Gen-X homeowners is causing gridlock in the U.S. housing market. Nearly 43 percent of homeowners between 35 and 49 are underwater on their mortgages. In contrast, only 15 percent of millennial homeowners (those between 20 and 34 years old) and 31 percent of baby boomers (50 to 64 years old) are underwater.

The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index climbed 2.1 points to 92.4 in the group's August reading, marking the highest level of confidence since October 2007. August's increase was driven by an increase in Conference Board's measure of current economic sentiment, which grew to 94.6 from 87.9 in July. Most of that was spurred by more promising reports over the spring and summer as business and labor market indicators improved.

The S&P/Case-Shiller National Price Index gained 6.2 percent annually in June, according to a report released Tuesday from S&P Dow Jones Indices. That figure was down from a yearly increase of 7.1 percent in May. The narrower 10- and 20-city composite indices each gained 8.1 percent compared to May's improvements of 9.4 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively.