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HUD: Carson Delivers Oath of Office to Four New HUD Leaders

Investor Update
January 12, 2018

Compton, Tufts, Wolfson and Dennis sworn in to help lead Department during critical time

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has four new top leaders who are assuming key roles in the agency at the start of a new year and during a critical recovery period following last year’s devastating hurricanes. HUD Secretary Ben Carson administered the oath of office to the following individuals recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate: J. Paul Compton, Jr. to become HUD’s General Counsel; Suzanne Israel Tufts to be Assistant Secretary for the Office of Administration; Leonard Wolfson as Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations; and Irving Dennis to serve as Chief Financial Officer.

“Today, our bench got a lot deeper,” said Secretary Carson. “These four outstanding individuals bring substantial experience to HUD at a moment when our Department is being called upon to excel as we support millions of our fellow citizens recovering from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.”

J. Paul Compton, Jr. will lead HUD’s Office of General Counsel which provides advice and services to all HUD programs and activities. OGC represents the department in litigation and enforcement actions; provides legal services in the development, preparation and presentation of the Department’s legislative initiatives; has primary responsibility for the development of HUD program regulations; represents the department in multifamily finance transactions; and assists in the development of HUD programs and policies. General Counsel Compton is an Alabama native with legal expertise in the areas of multifamily affordable housing finance, tax credit transactions and mortgage securitization. A former partner of the Birmingham-based law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Compton is listed by Chambers USA as one of America’s leading business lawyers on issues related to banking, finance and regulatory matters. He also served as a legal advisor to the Alabama Affordable Housing Association, a trade organization for developers, property managers, lenders, investors and service providers for affordable housing. He is a Truman Scholar and a graduation of the University of Virginia School of Law.

Assistant Secretary Suzanne Israel Tufts will lead HUD’s Office of Administration tasked with delivering administrative support and customer service to HUD employees nationwide. As HUD’s chief administrative officer, Ms. Tufts will oversee the Department’s human resources, contract procurement and training needs. A New York-based attorney with extensive experience in turnaround management, Assistant Secretary Tufts served in operational roles in the public and not-for-profit sectors, including public housing authorities in New York State. Ms. Tufts is a nationally recognized expert in the field of social programming in inner cities including microenterprises, education and women’s issues. She formerly served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Woman’s Economic Development Corporation (AWED), the nation’s first women’s entrepreneurship training center. Following the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, Assistant Secretary Tuffs and AWED launched emergency small business crisis services for which she was recognized by President George W. Bush and then- Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. Ms. Tufts graduated summa cum laude with an A.B. in Bio-Medical Ethics from Princeton University in 1977, and graduated from the University of Virginia Law School where she was awarded a Dillard Fellowship.

As HUD’s Assistant Secretary of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations, Len Wolfson will serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary and senior staff on legislative affairs, Congressional relations, and policy matters affecting Federal, state and local governments, as well as public and private stakeholders. Prior to his service at HUD, Assistant Secretary Wolfson served as Associate Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the Mortgage Bankers Association, where he helped the real estate finance industry recover from the financial crisis by advocating for a return to safe and sustainable lending. He previously served as HUD’s General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relation, during the George W. Bush administration. During that time, he led HUD’s successful legislative efforts to modernize the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. A Connecticut native, Mr. Wolfson also served his hometown congressional representative, Christopher Shays. He earned a B.A. in history and political science from the University of Connecticut.

Irv Dennis is HUD’s Chief Financial Officer responsible for employing sound financial management practices across all of the agency’s program areas. Mr. Dennis will oversee the accounting, budget and financial management for the agency’s budget and appropriations including processing millions of transactions each year to support HUD’s mission. Prior to his public service, Mr. Dennis was a Global Client Service Partner with Ernst & Young, LLP where he worked with several large multinational public companies in various industries. Mr. Dennis earned a B.S. Degree in business administration-accounting from Montclair State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. He serves on several not-for-profit boards and has been a member of various accounting-related organizations.

Source: HUD

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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