Origination

With fluctuations in rental and owner markets over the past few years, it can be difficult to determine whether one is better off renting or owning. In Manhattan, renting is currently the more financially viable option, according to a new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The number of homebuyers who think the price recovery will continue through 2013 has more than doubled throughout 2012.

The latest Residential Price Index (RPI) report from FNC, Inc., shows property values continued to improve in October on the national level. Home prices were up 0.4 percent in October, marking the eighth consecutive month of price increases. Year-to-date, prices have appreciated at a rate of 5.1 percent. According to FNC, October's price gains falls "in line with indications of continued expansion in economic activity and better employment rates in recent months."

Sunset Beach, Missouri, was the site of this year's 51st bank collapse as the Missouri Division of Finance shut down the Community Bank of the Ozarks. According to a release from the FDIC, Community Bank of the Ozarks had approximately $42.8 million in total assets and about $41.9 million in deposits as of September 30. The Bank of Sullivan (Sullivan, Missouri) will be picking up all of the deposits and will purchase essentially all of the assets.

Home sales in California displayed a typical seasonal decline in November and fell month-over-month, but the median price posted both monthly and yearly gains, San Diego-based DataQuick reported. About 37,481 new and existing homes were sold in November, representing a 4.5 percent decline from October, but a 14.7 percent increase from November 2011, according to DataQuick.

Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) deputy director Stephen Cross will retire from his post in March 2013, according to an announcement from acting director Edward DeMarco. Cross has served as FHFA's deputy director of the Division of Federal Home Loan Bank Regulation since the agency's creation in 2008.

Capsilon, a San Francisco-headquartered provider of cloud-based document sharing, imaging, and collaboration solutions for lenders, announced David Hanafee has joined its executive team as VP of worldwide sales.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has released its mortgage loan limits for 2013.

The desire for homeownership is still strong in young renters, according to a survey released by Trulia.

Independent mortgage bankers are seeing increasing origination volumes and profits, according to a report by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).