Archives For: Industry Updates

How Climate Change Could Cause Foreclosure Rate to Spike Nearly 400%

Climate change could be responsible for a 380% spike in foreclosures by 2035, according to a National Risk Assessment by research firm First Street.

31 Jul 2025

FHFA Proposes to Repeal Fair Lending Rule

FHFA is proposing to repeal a 2024 final rule related to fair housing and lending oversight of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Federal Home Loans Banks.

28 Jul 2025

Fannie and Freddie: Single Family Serious Delinquency Rates Decreased in June

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac both reported that Single-Family serious delinquency rates remained unchanged from May to June.

28 Jul 2025

New Proposal to Repair Foreclosed Buffalo Homes and Sell Them at Affordable Prices

A new initiative in Buffalo aims to repair a surplus of foreclosed-upon homes and sell them back to residents at affordable prices.

25 Jul 2025

Tricog Land Bank’s Strategy to Combat Blight in Mon Valley

Crafton Borough is taking significant steps to combat blight and improve community housing through a partnership with the Tricog Land Bank.

25 Jul 2025

ICE First Look at Mortgage Performance: June 2025

ICE released its June 2024 First Look, which shows that mortgage delinquencies rose on a monthly basis while foreclosures trended higher YoY.

24 Jul 2025

Foreclosure Prevention, Refinance, and Federal Property Manager’s Report – April 2025

FHFA reports that in April 2025, the Enterprises completed 19,474 foreclosure prevention actions, of which approximately 39% were permanent loan modifications.

24 Jul 2025

Congress Acts to Help Veterans Avoid Foreclosure

Congress has passed legislation to help veterans avoid foreclosure after the Dept. of Veterans Affairs ended a mortgage relief program in May.

18 Jul 2025

Foreclosure Rates by State – June 2025

ATTOM released a list of foreclosure rates across all 50 states, starting with the state that had the worst foreclosure rate (South Carolina).

18 Jul 2025

Foreclosures Climb in This Major City – and Even the Most Elite ZIP Codes Aren’t Spared

New York City saw a double-digit increase in foreclosure rates this spring, with mortgage defaults affecting even some of Manhattan’s most prestigious ZIP codes.

17 Jul 2025

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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