Archives For: Industry Updates

U.S. Foreclosure Activity Sees Uplift in August 2023

ATTOM released its August 2023 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report which shows foreclosure filings up 7% from a month ago.

13 Sep 2023

Lawrence County Land Bank Begins Demolition of 19 Condemned Buildings

The Lawrence County Land Bank has begun demolition of 19 condemned homes that have been a source of neighborhood blight for nearly 6 years.

12 Sep 2023

Neighbors Beg Portland Officials to Foreclose ‘Hazard’ House, 8 Other Properties

The city of Portland is taking action against property owners with blighted houses that are causing problems on the east side of town.

11 Sep 2023

Freddie Mac Announces Michael J. DeVito to Retire as CEO

Freddie Mac announced that Michael J. DeVito has informed the Board of Directors of his intention to retire as CEO in Q1 2024.

8 Sep 2023

CoreLogic: 1.11 Million Homeowners with Negative Equity in Q2 2023

CoreLogic released the Homeowner Equity Report for Q2 of 2023 showing U.S. homeowners saw equity decrease by 1.7% year over year.

8 Sep 2023

Marietta City Council Designates Money Towards Blight Program

Marietta City Council voted to designate up to $40,000 using ARPA funds towards a project they believe will help address blight.

8 Sep 2023

CoreLogic: Mortgage Delinquencies, Foreclosure Rates at Historic Lows

CoreLogic released its Loan Performance Insights report for August 2023 showing mortgage delinquencies and foreclosure rates at historic lows.

1 Sep 2023

Default Servicing Industry Leaders Expect Slight Increase in Foreclosure Volume and Falling Home Prices to End 2023

Auction.com released its 2023 Seller Insights report, showing 92% of default servicing industry leaders expect foreclosure volume to increase in 2023.

25 Aug 2023

Zombie Foreclosures Hold Steady During Third Quarter

ATTOM’s Vacant Property and Zombie Foreclosure Report for Q3 2023 found that of the 315,425 residential properties in pre-foreclosure, 8,800 sit vacant.

24 Aug 2023

Black Knight: Mortgage Delinquency Rate Increased Slightly in July

According to Black Knight’s First Look report for July 2023, the percent of delinquent loans increased slightly while the percent of loans in foreclosure decreased slightly.

23 Aug 2023

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CEO

Alan Jaffa

Alan Jaffa is the Chief Executive Officer for Safeguard Properties, steering the company as the mortgage field services industry leader. He also serves on the board of advisors for SCG Partners, a middle-market private equity fund focused on diversifying and expanding Safeguard Properties’ business model into complimentary markets.

Alan joined Safeguard in 1995, learning the business from the ground up. He was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2002, and was named CEO in May 2010. His hands-on experience has given him unique insights as a leader to innovate, improve and strengthen Safeguard’s processes to assure that the company adheres to the highest standards of quality and customer service.

Under Alan’s leadership, Safeguard has grown significantly with strategies that have included new and expanded services, technology investments that deliver higher quality and greater efficiency to clients, and strategic acquisitions. He takes a team approach to process improvement, involving staff at all levels of the organization to address issues, brainstorm solutions, and identify new and better ways to serve clients.

In 2008, Alan was recognized by Crain’s Cleveland Business in its annual “40-Under-40” profile of young leaders. He also was named a NEO Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award finalist in 2013.

Esq., General Counsel and EVP

Linda Erkkila

Linda Erkkila is the General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Safeguard Properties, with oversight of legal, human resources, training, and compliance. Linda’s broad scope of oversight covers regulatory issues that impact Safeguard’s operations, risk mitigation, strategic planning, human resources and training initiatives, compliance, insurance, litigation and claims management, and counsel related to mergers, acquisition and joint ventures.

Linda assures that Safeguard’s strategic initiatives align with its resources, leverage opportunities across the company, and contemplate compliance mandates. She has practiced law for 25 years and her experience, both as outside and in-house counsel, covers a wide range of corporate matters, including regulatory disclosure, corporate governance compliance, risk assessment, compensation and benefits, litigation management, and mergers and acquisitions.

Linda earned her JD at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She holds a degree in economics from Miami University and an MBA. Linda was previously named as both a “Woman of Influence” by HousingWire and as a “Leading Lady” by MReport.

COO

Michael Greenbaum

Michael Greenbaum is the Chief Operating Officer of Safeguard Properties, where he has played a pivotal role since joining the company in July 2010. Initially brought on as Vice President of REO, Mike’s exceptional leadership and strategic vision quickly propelled him to Vice President of Operations in 2013, and ultimately to COO in 2015. Over his 14-year tenure at Safeguard, Mike has been instrumental in driving change and fostering innovation within the Property Preservation sector, consistently delivering excellence and becoming a trusted partner to clients and investors.

A distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Mike earned a degree in Quantitative Economics. Following his graduation, he served in the U.S. Army’s Ordnance Branch, where he specialized in supply chain management. Before his tenure at Safeguard, Mike honed his expertise by managing global supply chains for 13 years, leveraging his military and civilian experience to lead with precision and efficacy.

CFO

Joe Iafigliola

Joe Iafigliola is the Chief Financial Officer for Safeguard Properties. Joe is responsible for the Control, Quality Assurance, Business Development, Marketing, Accounting, and Information Security departments. At the core of his responsibilities is the drive to ensure that Safeguard’s focus remains rooted in Customer Service = Resolution. Through his executive leadership role, he actively supports SGPNOW.com, an on-demand service geared towards real estate and property management professionals as well as individual home owners in need of inspection and property preservation services. Joe is also an integral force behind Compliance Connections, a branch of Safeguard Properties that allows code enforcement professionals to report violations at properties that can then be addressed by the Safeguard vendor network. Compliance Connections also researches and shares vacant property ordinance information with Safeguard clients.

Joe has an MBA from The Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and holds a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University’s Honors Accounting program.

Business Development

Carrie Tackett

Business Development Safeguard Properties