Secondary Market

First-time claims for unemployment insurance dropped for only the second time in the last six weeks, falling 16,000 to 339,000 for the week ending April 20, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists expected 350,000 initial claims. Initial jobless claims for the week ending April 13 were revised up to 355,000 from the originally reported 355,000.

Zillow's Home Value Index (HVI) rose to $157,600 as of the end of Q1, up 0.5 percent over Q4 2012 and 5.1 percent over the same time last year. Quarterly home value appreciation in the fourth quarter was 2.1 percent--indicating the market is slowing down to a more sustainable pace, says Zillow chief economist Dr. Stan Humphries. Looking ahead, the company's Home Value Forecast shows national home values rising 3.2 percent through March 2014, an annual appreciation rate in line with historic norms.

360 Mortgage Group, a privately owned mortgage banker operating out of Austin, Texas, announced Ron Summers has joined the team as its newest account executive. Summers, who has more than 12 years of mortgage lending and real estate experience, will report to Al Crisanty, VP of national wholesale production, as he works to expand relationships with high-quality mortgage brokers throughout Northern California.

The appraiser community is starting to show confidence in today's housing climate, United States Appraisals revealed in a release.

In Greenwood Village, Colorado, Blueberry Systems, LLC announced the promotion of industry veteran Dominick Marchetti to COO.

Clarifire, a Florida-based leader in workflow automation technology announced the launch of its next-generation website, eClarifire.com.

While other states spent March gearing up for a busy spring season, Massachusetts saw a decline in sales throughout the month, the Boston-based Warren Group reported.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) released Tuesday its House Price Index (HPI) for February, revealing home prices rose 0.7 percent month-over-month on a seasonally adjusted basis. Year-over-year, U.S. house prices were up 7.1 percent. As of February, the U.S. index rested at 196.3, 13.6 percent below its peak in April 2007 and was roughly the same as its October 2004 reading. FHFA's index has not declined on a monthly basis since January 2012.

Freddie Mac announced it is now offering a free, online CreditSmart tutorial to provide working families and new or inexperienced borrowers with basic sound information about building savings, personal credit, and making wise financial choices.

Stearns Lending, Inc., a nationwide mortgage lending institution encompassing retail, wholesale, and correspondent business channels, announced the appointment of Aaron Samples as VP of strategic development.