Foreclosures in the Big Apple

Industry Update
January 4, 2019

Source: DS News

First-time foreclosure cases decreased quarter-over-quarter across New York in 2018, according to Property Shark’s Q42018 report on foreclosures in the Big Apple. The report indicated that across all New York boroughs 720 homes “hit the auction block for the first time.” This is a 14 percent year-over-year decrease, with lis pendens cases also declining by 16 percent during this period.

The only exception was Queens, which saw an 8 percent year-over-year increase in foreclosures during the quarter. The borough saw 252 first-time foreclosure cases during the quarter. However, on a quarter-over-quarter basis, Queens saw a 17 percent drop compared to Q32018.

On a quarter-over-quarter basis, first-time cases in Staten Island increased by 269 percent, the report said, “due to the very limited number of foreclosures that occurred in Q32018.”

“In Q3, there were only 48 cases registered, while in Q4 177 residential properties were auctioned off” in Staten Island, the report indicated. Year-over-year, the borough saw a decrease of 4 percent in foreclosures.

Lis pendens or pre-foreclosure cases are also declining across the city. The report found that such cases had contracted 16 percent year-over-year with 2,113 lis pendens notices registered in the last quarter of 2018. Each borough saw decreases between 7 percent and 29 percent. The only exception, in this case, was Manhattan where pre-foreclosures saw an uptick of 2 percent during the quarter. The largest drop in these cases occurred in the Bronx, declining 29 percent, while most cases were registered in Queens.

Despite an uptick in pre-foreclosures, Manhattan saw only 23 homes heading for the auction block in Q42018, compared with the same period last year, when 28 homes were in foreclosure in this area. The borough, according to the report, continues to remain stable in terms of foreclosures with “first-time cases constantly hovering around 20 and 30 over the last couple of quarters.”

The Bronx saw the steepest drop in residential foreclosures with the number of cases dropping to more than half in Q42018, compared with the same period last year. The borough also registered the steepest quarter-over-quarter decrease in foreclosures among all five areas with the decline pegged at 36 percent by Property Shark.

Click here to read the full report.

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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