Freddie Mac Extends Mortgage Relief to Disaster Impacted Borrowers in Washington

On April 9, Freddie Mac issued an announcement titled Freddie Mac Extends Mortgage Relief to Washington Borrowers Affected by Disasters.

Freddie Mac Extends Mortgage Relief to Washington Borrowers Affected by Disasters

MCLEAN, VA–(Marketwired – Apr 9, 2014) – Freddie Mac’s (OTCQB: FMCC) full menu of mortgage relief policies for borrowers affected by disasters in the State of Washington, including homeowners whose homes in Snohomish County were damaged or destroyed by recent flooding. Freddie Mac’s disaster relief policies enable servicers to help borrowers with homes in presidentially declared Major Disaster Areas where federal Individual Assistance programs are being made available. Freddie Mac is one of the nation’s largest investors in residential mortgages.

News Quote:

Attribute to Tracy Mooney, Senior Vice President of Single-Family Servicing at Freddie Mac:

“Freddie Mac is urgently reminding the nation’s mortgage servicers about the full range of mortgage relief options they can provide to affected borrowers with mortgages we own or guarantee, including up to 12 months of forbearance on their mortgage payments. We strongly encourage borrowers to contact their servicers, who are fully authorized to work with them on a case-by-case basis.”

News Facts:

  • Freddie Mac disaster relief policies authorize mortgage servicers to help affected borrowers in presidentially declared Major Disaster Areas where federal Individual Assistance programs have been extended. A list of these areas can be found at http://www.fema.gov/disasters.
  • Freddie Mac mortgage relief options for affected borrowers in these areas include:
    • Place borrowers on forbearance and suspend foreclosures for up to 12 months;
    • Waiving assessments of late fees against borrowers with disaster-damaged homes;
    • Not reporting forbearance triggered by the disaster to the nation’s credit bureaus; and
    • Suspending eviction lock-outs for up to 90 days.
  • Under a new Freddie Mac mortgage modification option, after the disaster forbearance ends, the servicer can add skipped payments to the outstanding loan balance and extend the mortgage term, while keeping the borrower’s mortgage payment essentially the same.
  • Freddie Mac is also reminding servicers to consider Freddie Mac’s standard relief policies, including forbearance or mortgage modifications, for borrowers who work in eligible disaster areas but live in unaffected areas.
  • Affected borrowers should immediately contact their mortgage servicer — the company to which they send their monthly mortgage payment.
  • Freddie Mac disaster relief policies are on the freddiemac.com Servicing page.

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation’s residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four home borrowers and is one of the largest sources of financing for multifamily housing. Additional information is available at www.FreddieMac.com, Twitter @FreddieMac and Freddie Mac’s blog www.FreddieMac.com/blog.

Please click here to view the online article.

About Safeguard 
Safeguard Properties is the largest mortgage field services company in the U.S. Founded in 1990 by Robert Klein and based in Valley View, Ohio, the company inspects and maintains defaulted and foreclosed properties for mortgage servicers, lenders, and other financial institutions. Safeguard employs approximately 1,700 people, in addition to a network of thousands of contractors nationally. Website: www.safeguardproperties.com.

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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