Labor/Economy

According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., American banks had their best-ever quarter during the first quarter of this year.

All three S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price composites indices, which were published by S&P Dow Jones Indices, showed double-digit annual increases for the three months ending in March.

Ahead of the holiday weekend, AAA estimated that 34.8 million Americans would travel more than 50 miles from home during the period from May 23 to May 27.

The Census Bureau reported on Thursday that new home sales were at an annualized rate of 454,000 units in April, up from 444,000 in March, which was revised upward from 417,000—an unusually strong revision. The bureau revised the February and January totals up significantly as well.

The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales were up 0.6 percent in April from an annualized rate of 4.94 million units to 4.97 million units (including all single-family, condos and co-op residences).

American home values continued to climb in April, according to the latest Zillow Real Estate Market Report.

The Federal Reserve reported in its April “Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices” that domestic banks, on average, are reporting they have eased their lending standards over the past three months and are experiencing stronger demand in several loan categories.