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FHFA: Foreclosure Prevention Report – Third Quarter 2020

Investor Update
December 17, 2020

Source: FHFA

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today released its third quarter 2020 Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report. The report shows that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) completed 539,451 foreclosure prevention actions in the third quarter of 2020, bringing to 5.2 million the number of troubled homeowners who have been helped during conservatorships. Of these actions, 4.5 million of the foreclosure prevention actions have helped troubled homeowners stay in their homes.

Other report highlights include:

• Forbearance: newly initiated forbearance dropped significantly to 231 thousand in the third quarter from 1.5 million in the second quarter of 2020. The total number of loans in forbearance plans at the end of the quarter was 1 million, representing approximately 3.66 percent of the total loans serviced and 79 percent of total delinquent loans. A majority of the forbearance actions occurred as a result of the Enterprises’ response to COVID-19 impacts.

• Mortgage Performance: The 60+ days delinquency rate decreased from 4.08 percent at the end of the second quarter to 3.58 percent at the end of the third quarter. Overall, delinquency rates remained much higher than pre-coronavirus rates due to the forbearance programs being offered to borrowers affected by the pandemic.

• The Enterprises’ serious (90 days or more) delinquency rate jumped to 3.14 percent at the end of the third quarter. This compared with 10.76 percent for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans, 5.77 percent for Veterans Affairs (VA) loans, and 5.16 percent for all loans (industry average).

• Foreclosure starts decreased 10 percent from 7,551 in the second quarter to 6,809 in the third quarter of 2020.

• Refinances: increased to 1.8 million in the third quarter, from 1.5 in the first quarter of 2020.

• REO inventory decreased 25 percent in 3Q2020.

FHFA’s quarterly report also includes data on the Enterprises’ mortgage performance, delinquency, home forfeiture actions and refinances by state. FHFA publishes the report data in an online, interactive Borrower Assistance Map on FHFA.gov.

Link to Report

Contacts:

Media: Raffi Williams Raffi.Williams@FHFA.gov / Adam Russell Adam.Russell@FHFA.gov

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