FEMA Major Disaster Declaration – Virginia Tropical Storm Helene

FEMA Alert
October 1, 2024  

***LAST UPDATE: 12/5/24***

FEMA has issued a Major Disaster Declaration for the state of Virginia to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in areas affected by Tropical Storm Helene from September 25 – October 3, 2024.  The following counties have been approved for assistance:

Individual Assistance:

  • Bedford
  • Bland
  • Carroll
  • Galax City
  • Giles
  • Grayson
  • Lee
  • Montgomery
  • Pittsylvania
  • Pulaski
  • Radford City
  • Russell
  • Scott
  • Smyth
  • Tazewell
  • Washington
  • Wise
  • Wythe

Public Assistance:

  • Albemarle
  • Appomattox
  • Bedford
  • Bland
  • Botetourt
  • Bristol City
  • Buchanan
  • Buckingham
  • Carroll
  • Charlotte
  • Covington City
  • Craig
  • Danville City
  • Dickenson
  • Floyd
  • Galax City
  • Giles
  • Grayson
  • Greene
  • Lee
  • Madison
  • Montgomery
  • Nelson
  • Norton City
  • Patrick
  • Pittsylvania
  • Pulaski
  • Radford City
  • Roanoke
  • Roanoke City
  • Russell
  • Scott
  • Smyth
  • Tazewell
  • Washington
  • Wise
  • Wythe

 

Virginia Tropical Storm Helene (DR-4831-VA)

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Virginia

Map of Affected Area

List of Affected Zip Codes

 

Additional Resources

FEMA’s web site

FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process

Safeguard Properties Industry Alerts

HUD Moratorium on Foreclosure

VA’s Policy Regarding Natural Disasters

Freddie Mac Disaster Relief Policies

Fannie Mae’s Natural Disaster Relief Policies

FEMA Major Disaster Declaration – Georgia Hurricane Helene

FEMA Alert
September 30, 2024  

***Last Update: 11/6/24***

FEMA has issued a Major Disaster Declaration for the state of Georgia to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in areas affected by Hurricane Helene from September 24 – October 30, 2024.  The following counties have been approved for assistance:

Individual Assistance:

  • Appling
  • Atkinson
  • Bacon
  • Ben Hill
  • Berrien
  • Brantley
  • Brooks
  • Bryan
  • Bulloch
  • Burke
  • Butts
  • Camden
  • Candler
  • Charlton
  • Chatham
  • Clinch
  • Coffee
  • Colquitt
  • Columbia
  • Cook
  • Dodge
  • Echols
  • Effingham
  • Elbert
  • Emanuel
  • Evans
  • Fulton
  • Glascock
  • Glynn
  • Hancock
  • Irwin
  • Jeff Davis
  • Jefferson
  • Jenkins
  • Johnson
  • Lanier
  • Laurens
  • Liberty
  • Lincoln
  • Long
  • Lowndes
  • McDuffie
  • McIntosh
  • Montgomery
  • Newton
  • Pierce
  • Rabun
  • Richmond
  • Screven
  • Stephens
  • Taliaferro
  • Tattnall
  • Telfair
  • Thomas
  • Tift
  • Toombs
  • Treutlen
  • Ware
  • Warren
  • Washington
  • Wayne
  • Wheeler
  • Wilkes

Public Assistance:

  • Appling
  • Atkinson
  • Bacon
  • Baldwin
  • Banks
  • Ben Hill
  • Berrien
  • Bleckley
  • Brantley
  • Brooks
  • Bryan
  • Bulloch
  • Burke
  • Butts
  • Camden
  • Candler
  • Charlton
  • Chatham
  • Clinch
  • Coffee
  • Colquitt
  • Columbia
  • Cook
  • Crisp
  • Dawson
  • Decatur
  • Dodge
  • Dooly
  • Echols
  • Effingham
  • Elbert
  • Emanuel
  • Evans
  • Franklin
  • Gilmer
  • Glascock
  • Glynn
  • Grady
  • Greene
  • Habersham
  • Hancock
  • Hart
  • Irwin
  • Jackson
  • Jasper
  • Jeff Davis
  • Jefferson
  • Jenkins
  • Johnson
  • Lamar
  • Lanier
  • Laurens
  • Liberty
  • Lincoln
  • Long
  • Lowndes
  • Lumpkin
  • Madison
  • McDuffie
  • McIntosh
  • Mitchell
  • Monroe
  • Montgomery
  • Oglethorpe
  • Paulding
  • Pierce
  • Pike
  • Pulaski
  • Putnam
  • Rabun
  • Richmond
  • Screven
  • Stephens
  • Taliaferro
  • Tattnall
  • Telfair
  • Thomas
  • Tift
  • Toombs
  • Treutlen
  • Turner
  • Twiggs
  • Ware
  • Warren
  • Washington
  • Wayne
  • Wheeler
  • White
  • Wilcox
  • Wilkes
  • Wilkinson
  • Worth

 

Georgia Hurricane Helene (DR-4830-GA)

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Georgia

Map of Affected Area

List of Affected Zip Codes

 

Additional Resources

FEMA’s web site

FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process

Safeguard Properties Industry Alerts

HUD Moratorium on Foreclosure

VA’s Policy Regarding Natural Disasters

Freddie Mac Disaster Relief Policies

Fannie Mae’s Natural Disaster Relief Policies

Mortgage Foreclosure, Forbearance Data Now Available in FHFA’s New Dashboard

Industry Update
September 30, 2024

Source: Mortgage Professional America (MPA)

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has released updated data from its National Mortgage Database (NMDB®) on residential mortgage performance through the second quarter of 2024, along with a new interactive tool that makes it easier for the public to access and analyze this information.

The NMDB Aggregate Statistics offer a snapshot of the loan performance of residential mortgages across the United States, providing insight into national, state, and metropolitan-level trends. FHFA’s new data visualization dashboard allows users to easily monitor mortgage performance, offering detailed views of foreclosure rates, forbearance data, and delinquency figures.

“The new dashboard makes it easier for the public to quickly access and review mortgage performance statistics at the national and state levels and for the 100 largest metropolitan areas,” said Anju Vajja, deputy director for FHFA’s research and statistics division. “The NMDB quarterly data releases allow the public to monitor and more closely examine the data to identify emerging mortgage market trends as they develop.”

According to FHFA’s latest data, 0.1% of all outstanding mortgages were in foreclosure, bankruptcy, or deed-in-lieu at the end of the second quarter of 2024. This rate has remained steady in recent quarters and is significantly lower than the peak of 3.5% reached during the financial crisis in 2010 and 2011.

The data also showed that 0.6% of all outstanding mortgages were 90 days or more past due but not yet in foreclosure. States with the highest share of delinquent loans include Louisiana at 1.3%, Mississippi at 1.1%, and Washington, DC, also at 1.1%.

Forbearance rates were another key focus of the report. At the end of Q2 2024, 0.6% of all loans were in forbearance. The metropolitan areas with the highest forbearance rates were Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX, with a rate of 5.3%, Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN, at 4.7%, and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX, at 3.7%.

 

For full report, please click the source link above.

 

Fannie and Freddie: Single Family Serious Delinquency Rate Ticked Up in August

Industry Update
September 27, 2024

Source: Calculated Risk

Single-family serious delinquencies increased slightly in August, and multi-family serious delinquencies decreased slightly.

Freddie Mac reported that the Single-Family serious delinquency rate in August was 0.52%, up from 0.51% June. Freddie’s rate is down year-over-year from 0.55% in August 2023.  This is below the pre-pandemic lows.

Freddie’s serious delinquency rate peaked in February 2010 at 4.20% following the housing bubble and peaked at 3.17% in August 2020 during the pandemic.

Fannie Mae reported that the Single-Family serious delinquency rate in August was 0.50%, up from 0.49% in July. The serious delinquency rate is down year-over-year from 0.53% in August 2023.  This is also below the pre-pandemic lows.

The Fannie Mae serious delinquency rate peaked in February 2010 at 5.59% following the housing bubble and peaked at 3.32% in August 2020 during the pandemic.

 

For full report, please click the source link above.

 

FEMA Emergency Management Declaration – Virginia Post-tropical Cyclone Helene

FEMA Alert
September 29, 2024  

***Last Update: 10/4/24***

FEMA has issued an Emergency Management Declaration for areas of Virginia to supplement state, tribal and local response efforts due to emergency conditions resulting from Post-tropical Cyclone Helene beginning September 25, 2024 and continuing.  The following counties have been approved for assistance:

Public Assistance:

  • Bedford
  • Bland
  • Bristol
  • Buchanan
  • Carroll
  • Covington
  • Craig
  • Danville
  • Dickenson
  • Galax
  • Giles
  • Grayson
  • Montgomery
  • Norton
  • Pittsylvania
  • Pulaski
  • Radford
  • Russell
  • Scott
  • Smyth
  • Tazewell
  • Washington
  • Wise
  • Wythe

 

Virginia Post-tropical Cyclone Helene (EM-3621-VA)

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Emergency Declaration for Virginia

Map of Affected Areas

List of Affected Zip Codes

 

Additional Resources

FEMA’s web site

FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process

Safeguard Properties Industry Alerts

HUD Moratorium on Foreclosure

VA’s Policy Regarding Natural Disasters

Freddie Mac Disaster Relief Policies

Fannie Mae’s Natural Disaster Relief Policies

FEMA Major Disaster Declaration – South Carolina Hurricane Helene

FEMA Alert
September 29, 2024  

***Last Update: 12/5/24***

FEMA has issued a Major Disaster Declaration for the state of South Carolina to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in areas affected by Hurricane Helene beginning September 25, 2024 and continuing.  The following counties have been approved for assistance:

Individual Assistance:

  • Abbeville
  • Aiken
  • Allendale
  • Anderson
  • Bamberg
  • Barnwell
  • Beaufort
  • Catawba Indian Reservation
  • Cherokee
  • Chester
  • Edgefield
  • Fairfield
  • Greenville
  • Greenwood
  • Hampton
  • Jasper
  • Kershaw
  • Laurens
  • Lexington
  • McCormick
  • Newberry
  • Oconee
  • Orangeburg
  • Pickens
  • Richland
  • Saluda
  • Spartanburg
  • Union
  • York

Public Assistance:

  • Abbeville
  • Aiken
  • Allendale
  • Anderson
  • Bamberg
  • Barnwell
  • Beaufort
  • Berkeley
  • Calhoun
  • Catawba Indian Reservation
  • Cherokee
  • Chester
  • Colleton
  • Edgefield
  • Fairfield
  • Greenville
  • Greenwood
  • Hampton
  • Jasper
  • Kershaw
  • Lancaster
  • Laurens
  • Lexington
  • McCormick
  • Newberry
  • Oconee
  • Orangeburg
  • Pickens
  • Richland
  • Saluda
  • Spartanburg
  • Union
  • Williamsburg
  • York

 

South Carolina Hurricane Helene (DR-4829-SC)

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for South Carolina

Map of Affected Area

List of Affected Zip Codes

 

Additional Resources

FEMA’s web site

FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process

Safeguard Properties Industry Alerts

HUD Moratorium on Foreclosure

VA’s Policy Regarding Natural Disasters

Freddie Mac Disaster Relief Policies

Fannie Mae’s Natural Disaster Relief Policies

FEMA Major Disaster Declaration – North Carolina Tropical Storm Helene

FEMA Alert
September 28, 2024  

***Last Update: 10/16/24***

FEMA has issued a Major Disaster Declaration for the state of North Carolina to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in areas affected by Tropical Storm Helene beginning September 25, 2024 and continuing.  The following counties have been approved for assistance:

Individual Assistance:

  • Alexander
  • Alleghany
  • Ashe
  • Avery
  • Buncombe
  • Burke
  • Cabarrus
  • Caldwell
  • Catawba
  • Cherokee
  • Clay
  • Cleveland
  • Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina
  • Forsyth
  • Gaston
  • Graham
  • Haywood
  • Henderson
  • Iredell
  • Jackson
  • Lee
  • Lincoln
  • Macon
  • Madison
  • McDowell
  • Mecklenburg
  • Mitchell
  • Nash
  • Polk
  • Rowan
  • Rutherford
  • Stanly
  • Surry
  • Swain
  • Transylvania
  • Union
  • Watauga
  • Wilkes
  • Yadkin
  • Yancey

Public Assistance:

  • Alexander
  • Alleghany
  • Ashe
  • Avery
  • Buncombe
  • Burke
  • Cabarrus
  • Caldwell
  • Catawba
  • Cherokee
  • Clay
  • Cleveland
  • Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina
  • Forsyth
  • Gaston
  • Graham
  • Haywood
  • Henderson
  • Iredell
  • Jackson
  • Lee
  • Lincoln
  • Macon
  • Madison
  • McDowell
  • Mecklenburg
  • Mitchell
  • Nash
  • Polk
  • Rowan
  • Rutherford
  • Stanly
  • Surry
  • Swain
  • Transylvania
  • Union
  • Watauga
  • Wilkes
  • Yadkin
  • Yancey

 

North Carolina Tropical Storm Helene (DR-4827-NC)

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for North Carolina

Map of Affected Area

List of Affected Zip Codes

 

Additional Resources

FEMA’s web site

FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process

Safeguard Properties Industry Alerts

HUD Moratorium on Foreclosure

VA’s Policy Regarding Natural Disasters

Freddie Mac Disaster Relief Policies

Fannie Mae’s Natural Disaster Relief Policies

FEMA Major Disaster Declaration – Florida Hurricane Helene

FEMA Alert
September 28, 2024  

***Last Update: 11/26/24***

FEMA has issued a Major Disaster Declaration for the state of Florida to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in areas affected by Hurricane Helene beginning September 23, 2024 and continuing.  The following counties have been approved for assistance:

Individual Assistance:

  • Alachua
  • Baker
  • Bradford
  • Charlotte
  • Citrus
  • Collier
  • Columbia
  • DeSoto
  • Dixie
  • Duval
  • Franklin
  • Gilchrist
  • Gulf
  • Hamilton
  • Hernando
  • Hillsborough
  • Jefferson
  • Lafayette
  • Lee
  • Leon
  • Levy
  • Madison
  • Manatee
  • Pasco
  • Pinellas
  • Putnam
  • Sarasota
  • Suwannee
  • Taylor
  • Union
  • Wakulla

Public Assistance:

  • Alachua
  • Baker
  • Bay
  • Bradford
  • Calhoun
  • Charlotte
  • Citrus
  • Clay
  • Collier
  • Columbia
  • Dixie
  • Duval
  • Escambia
  • Franklin
  • Gadsden
  • Gilchrist
  • Gulf
  • Hamilton
  • Hernando
  • Hillsborough
  • Holmes
  • Jackson
  • Jefferson
  • Lafayette
  • Lee
  • Leon
  • Levy
  • Liberty
  • Madison
  • Manatee
  • Marion
  • Monroe
  • Nassau
  • Okaloosa
  • Pasco
  • Pinellas
  • Putnam
  • Santa Rosa
  • Sarasota
  • Sumter
  • Suwannee
  • Taylor
  • Union
  • Wakulla
  • Walton
  • Washington

 

Florida Hurricane Helene (DR-4828-FL)

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Florida

Map of Affected Area

List of Affected Zip Codes

 

Additional Resources

FEMA’s web site

FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process

Safeguard Properties Industry Alerts

HUD Moratorium on Foreclosure

VA’s Policy Regarding Natural Disasters

Freddie Mac Disaster Relief Policies

Fannie Mae’s Natural Disaster Relief Policies

FEMA Emergency Management Declaration – Tennessee Tropical Storm Helene

FEMA Alert
September 27, 2024  

FEMA has issued an Emergency Management Declaration for areas of Tennessee to supplement state, tribal and local response efforts due to emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Helene beginning September 26, 2024 and continuing.  The following counties have been approved for assistance:

Public Assistance:

  • Carter
  • Cocke
  • Greene
  • Hamblen
  • Hawkins
  • Johnson
  • Unicoi
  • Washington

 

Tennessee Tropical Storm Helene (EM-3620-EM)

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Emergency Declaration for Tennessee

Map of Affected Areas

List of Affected Zip Codes

 

Additional Resources

FEMA’s web site

FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process

Safeguard Properties Industry Alerts

HUD Moratorium on Foreclosure

VA’s Policy Regarding Natural Disasters

Freddie Mac Disaster Relief Policies

Fannie Mae’s Natural Disaster Relief Policies

FHFA Releases 2nd Quarter 2024 Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report

Industry Update
September 24, 2024

Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) released its second quarter 2024 Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report. The report shows that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) completed 46,378 foreclosure prevention actions during the quarter, raising the total number of homeowners who have been helped to 7,004,262 since the start of conservatorships in September 2008.

The report also shows that 32 percent of loan modifications completed in the second quarter reduced borrowers’ monthly payments by more than 20 percent. The number of refinances increased from 69,877 in the first quarter of 2024 to 89,571 in the second quarter of 2024.

The Enterprises’ serious delinquency rate declined slightly from 0.51 percent at the end of the first quarter to 0.49 percent at the end of the second quarter. This compares with 3.17 percent for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans, 2.07 percent for Veterans Affairs (VA) loans, and 1.43 percent for all loans (industry average).

Other highlights from the report include:

Forbearance: At the end of the quarter, there were 31,827 loans in forbearance, representing approximately 0.10 percent of the Enterprises’ single-family conventional book of business, down from 34,348 or 0.11 percent at the end of the first quarter of 2024. Approximately 1 percent of these loans have been on a forbearance plan for more than 12 months.

Mortgage Performance: The 60+ day delinquency rate remained unchanged at 0.70 percent at the end of the second quarter of 2024 compared to the end of the first quarter of 2024.

Foreclosures: The number of foreclosure starts fell 7.0 percent to 17,339 while third-party and foreclosure sales declined 7.4 percent to 2,944 in the second quarter.

Real Estate Owned (REO) Activity & Inventory: The Enterprises’ REO inventory decreased 9.2 percent from 10,404 in the first quarter of 2024 to 9,450 in the second quarter of 2024, as property dispositions outpaced acquisitions. The total number of property acquisitions decreased 14.2 percent to 1,200, while dispositions rose to 2,105 during the quarter.

FHFA’s quarterly foreclosure prevention and refinance reports include data on the Enterprises’ mortgage performance, delinquencies, and active forbearance plans, as well as forfeiture actions and refinances by state. The data included in these reports are also available on FHFA’s website as an interactive Borrower Assistance Map.

 

For full report, please click the source link above.

 
x

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.

x

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.

x

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.

x

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.

x

Business Development

Carrie Tackett

Business Development Safeguard Properties