Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition MERS Demonstration & Training
Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition MERS Demonstration & Training
March 24, 2010
Safeguard Properties
Cleveland, OH
On March 24th CEO Robert Klein and High Risk Supervisor Dave Mazanek of Safeguard Properties hosted a hands-on demonstration of the Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS) to municipal and non-profit representatives from 21 different city departments and non-profit agencies within the greater Cleveland area.??
The accomplishments realized at this meeting were benefits generated on multiple fronts.? An open format discussion provided for and delivered the strong and clear message that the industry is actively dedicated to and involved with partnering with non-profit agencies to maintain vacant properties and explore creative ways to transfer them for productive re-use.? This information is critical and hopeful for a city such as Cleveland is in forefront of the foreclosure crisis.
Mark Roberge, Central Region Director for MERS, was on hand to share an in-depth introduction of the background, development, and features of the MERS System.? With computer stations provided for each guest, Dave offered a live and interactive demonstration of its capabilities and variables for identifying the direct point of contact information for vacant properties, the most important piece of information for not only code enforcement professionals, but also for those groups implementing community development programs and projects.
As testament to the value and impact of this demonstration, most attendees stayed long beyond the two-hours dedicated for the training session, as they chose to spend additional time exploring MERS to find information on problem properties within their service areas that was once not attainable.? It was confirmed that the most practical value was found in the street level search fields.? The primary concern voiced by the audience, an appropriate issue considering their occupational backgrounds, was locating information for a property that has transferred and/or sold to a third party.? These problems will diminish as more servicers upload their inventories and/or register as members to MERS.
Presentations and demonstrations such as these are imperative to continuing Safeguard?s strident effort to bridge the gaps in communication and build collaborative relationships between the mortgage servicing industry and communities.? This is accomplished, in part, by sharing the benefits of MERS and promoting it as a viable tool for addressing the growing number of vacant properties and the blight they generate within neighborhoods.
About Safeguard
Safeguard Properties is the largest privately held field services company in the country. Located in Cleveland, Ohio and founded in 1990 by Robert Klein, Safeguard has grown from a regional preservation company with a few employees and a handful of contractors performing services in the Midwest, to a national company with over 700 employees. Safeguard is supported by a nationwide network of subcontractors able to perform any requested superintendence, preservation, and maintenance functions, as well as numerous ancillary services in the U.S., the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
