Safeguard Properties

Archives For: Industry Updates

Mason City Approves Vacant Building Registration in Effort to Combat Blight

The Mason City Council has approved a new ordinance requiring the registration of vacant commercial properties.

14 Feb 2023

U.S. Foreclosure Activity in January 2023 Continues to Increase Annually for 21 Consecutive Months

ATTOM has released the January 2023 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows foreclosure filings up 36% from a year ago, and 2% from a month ago.

9 Feb 2023

HUD Secretary Announces Major Milestone of Assisting Nearly 2 Million Homeowners Stay in their Homes

HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge announced that, thanks to FHA programs, approximately 2 million homeowners with FHA mortgages were able to stay in their homes from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic through December 2022.

8 Feb 2023

ATTOM Integrates Propensity to Default Analytics into its Vast U.S. Property Data Warehouse

ATTOM announced it has integrated propensity to default analytics into its U.S. property data warehouse, allowing for enhanced market intelligence to predict the likelihood of a household going into foreclosure.

7 Feb 2023

Baltimore City Council Considering Fees for Vacant Property Owners Who Receive 311 Requests

Baltimore City Council is considering establishing fees for vacant property owners who receive 311 requests against their properties.

7 Feb 2023

Proposed Bill Would Ban Use of Plywood for Boarding in New York

New York Senate Bill 3369, introduced 1/31/23, would ban the use of plywood, wood composite, wood veneer, or similar wood-based products to secure properties that are deemed vacant or abandoned.

31 Jan 2023

Federal Housing Administration Expands Assistance Options for Borrowers Struggling to Make Mortgage Payments

FHA has announced it is expanding and enhancing its set of loss mitigation options used to help borrowers struggling to make mortgage payments on FHA-insured loans.

30 Jan 2023

‘The Wreckage of Decades’: The Fight to Fix Nearly 1K Vacant Properties in Albany

The city of Albany and the Albany County Land Bank are working together to address vacant, blighted properties through both renovation and demolition.

28 Jan 2023

HUD Announces Over 100,000 Families & Individuals Housed Through “House America” Homelessness Initiative

HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge announced that states, municipalities, and tribes who joined House America have housed more than 100,000 households experiencing homelessness and added over 40,000 affordable housing units into development.

26 Jan 2023

Share of Mortgage Loans in Forbearance Remains Flat at .7% in December

Mortgage Bankers Association Monthly Loan Monitoring Survey revealed the total number of loans in forbearance remained flat relative to the previous month as of December 31, 2022.

23 Jan 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Business Development

Carrie Tackett

Business Development Safeguard Properties