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CoreLogic's Home Price Index (HPI) improved year-on-year for the 21st straight month in November, setting 2013 up to be the best year for home price gains since before the crash. According to the company's index, home prices nationwide (including distressed sales) increased 11.8 percent in November compared to the year prior. On a monthly basis, prices moved more or less sideways, coming up an estimated 0.1 percent from October's revised numbers.

WFG Title Company of California announced the hiring of a new SVP and Orange County manager. The company named Bryan Kelley in the role.

First Financial Bancorp is now serving the Fort Wayne, Indiana, market following the company's hiring of commercial and residential mortgage teams in the area.

Confidence in housing among the Realtor crowd increased slightly in November, though concerns about credit availability continue to temper that optimism. A survey from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that among who reported transactions in November but ultimately did not close a sale, 9 percent said the homebuyer could not obtain financing, and of those, 6 percent reported the buyer gave up on purchasing the home. If lenders returned to "normal" credit standards, NAR says as many as 500,000 more sales could occur.

In Virginia, Genworth Financial, Inc., announced the hiring of Lori M. Evangel as EVP and chief risk officer.

NewOak announced the appointment of Neil McPherson as head of business development. McPherson, who was part of the original business development team when NewOak launched in 2008, returns to the firm with responsibility for coordinating NewOak├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós client development efforts across all its business lines: valuation and risk advisory, litigation consulting and dispute resolution, mortgage credit services, and financial technology solutions.

Construction spending in November reached an estimated seasonally adjusted rate of $934.4 billion, up from $925.1 billion in October and $882.7 billion in November 2012, according to the Census Bureau. Private residential construction spending rose 1.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted $345.5 billion in November. Year-over-year private residential construction spending increased 16.6 percent. Single-family construction spending rose 1.8 percent over the month, while multifamily construction spending rose 0.9 percent.

Reports from Redfin agents indicate the fourth quarter was a rough one for homeowners looking to sell.

Michael Cannatti, a nearly 40-year veteran of the housing finance industry, has joined Mortgage Master as Texas Regional Manager, the super-regional mortgage bank announced.

A recently released borrower survey on shopping habits shows increasing reliance on online tools when mortgage shopping, though many still find the learning curve too steep.