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Nationwide Title Clearing, Inc. (NTC), a leading service provider to the mortgage and financial industry, ranked on Inc.'s 500|5000 list again this year, coming in hundreds of spots higher than in 2012.

Fixed mortgage rates jumped this week as markets awaited the release of minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) July meeting, which contained hints of when the Federal Reserve might start reducing its bond purchases. According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.58 percent (0.8 point) for the week ending August 22, up from last week's 4.40 percent. Meanwhile, Bankrate.com reported a two-year high for the 30-year fixed average in its own weekly survey.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance for the week ending August 17 rose 13,000 to 336,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists expected the number of claims to rise to 330,000 from the 320,000 originally reported for the week ending August 10. The number of filings for that week was bumped up to 323,000.

Anne-Marie Kuhlman is now Stewart Title's regional sales director for the state of Colorado, the company announced.

After trudging along throughout the first half of the year, economic growth is gaining momentum as expected, according to an Economic and Housing Outlook from Fannie Mae's Economic & Strategic Research (ESR) group. Looking ahead, the group expects GDP growth will average 2.0 percent for the year, accelerating to 2.6 percent in 2014 as fiscal drags peel away and the housing recovery continues--though the expected tapering of the Federal Reserve's asset purchases may lead to volatility, chief economist Doug Duncan warned.

The percentage of purchase loans finally eclipsed the share of refinances in July, according to Ellie Mae's Origination Insight Report for the month. The data sampled shows the mix of purchase loans to refinances was 53 percent versus 47 percent in July--the largest percentage of purchase loans since Ellie Mae began tracking in August 2011 and also the first time purchase share has crossed the 50 percent threshold in at least two years. Also notable was an increase in the share of adjustable-rate mortgage loans as fixed rates climb.

Existing-home sales soared 6.5 percent in July to an annual sales rate of 5.39 million--the highest level since November 2009--as the price of a single-family home slipped 0.2 percent.

Equifax has enhanced its retro income verification service, Point in Time, and integrated it into the company's Spectrum Verification Services Platform, the company announced.

Even with home prices marching ever upward and mortgage rates bouncing back more than a full percentage point over last year, Capital Economics' Paul Diggle insists housing affordability is still as good as most other experts say it is--if not better. Even with first-time buyers earning less on average and paying more of their income for their starter homes, "metrics are still considerably more favourable than historical norms," he said, suggesting that concerns about a bubble are "premature."

The Zillow Home Value Index reached $161,600 in July, up 0.4 percent from June and an even 6.0 percent from July 2012. July marked the 14th straight month of annual home value gains. Of the 393 metros tracked in July, 289 (73.5 percent) reported month-over-month price appreciation, and 303 (77.1 percent) showed annual appreciation. In addition, all areas saw both monthly and yearly appreciation, and all "have hit their bottom and are expected to show appreciation in the next 12 months."