Page 282 – Safeguard Properties

Linda Erkkila Named a 2017 Woman of Influence by HousingWire Magazine

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

News Release
August 2, 2017

Valley View, Ohio, August 2, 2017 – Safeguard Properties, the largest mortgage field services company in the U.S., is pleased to announce that Linda Erkkila, general counsel and executive vice president of human resources, has been named a 2017 Woman of Influence by HousingWire magazine.

“We congratulate Linda on being recognized for the significant role she plays on Safeguard’s executive team and ensuring we remain the leader in the mortgage field services industry,” said Alan Jaffa, Safeguard’s CEO. “Her strategic leadership has allowed her to effectively streamline our legal department and enable Safeguard to create innovative ways to continue to make the company a destination workplace.”

Linda serves as general counsel and executive vice president of human resources for Safeguard. Her broad scope of oversight covers regulatory issues that impact Safeguard’s operations, pro-active risk mitigation, enterprise strategic planning, human capital and training initiatives, litigation and claims management, and counsel related to mergers, acquisition and joint ventures.

As a key member of the executive team at Safeguard, Linda has made a huge impact on the company as a strategic leader in both the legal and human resources departments. She also has influenced the mortgage servicing industry via partnerships with government regulators and offering her expertise through published articles and conference panels. Her extensive legal knowledge and experience, combined with a broad understanding of the industry makes Linda a woman of influence.

HousingWire’s Women of Influence is an annual program launched to recognize the significant contributions of women to both mortgage banking and real estate. The honors are given to individuals who are making notable contributions to both their businesses and to the industry at-large – with a specific focus on contributions made in the most recent 12 months. Their energy, ideas, achievements, as well as commitment to excellence and progress give us a look at the future of the industry.

About Safeguard Properties: Safeguard Properties is the mortgage field services industry leader, preserving vacant and foreclosed properties across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Guam. Founded in 1990 by Robert Klein and headquartered in Valley View, Ohio, Safeguard provides the highest quality service to our clients by leveraging innovative technologies and proactively developing industry best practices and quality control procedures. Consistent with Safeguard’s values and mission, we are an active supporter of hundreds of charitable efforts across the country. Annually, Safeguard gives back to communities in partnership with our employees, vendors and clients. We also are dedicated to working with community leaders and officials to eliminate blight and stabilize neighborhoods. Safeguard is dedicated to preserving today and protecting tomorrow. Learn more at www.safeguardproperties.com.

About HousingWire Magazine: HousingWire Magazine is a monthly magazine that provides in-depth context and insight spanning the people, issues and data that matter in mortgage finance and real estate. The magazine offers readers insight on U.S housing and finance from leading national columnists, as well as exclusive features that tackle hard-hitting issues in real estate finance and bring to life the people that make markets. HousingWire’s editorial coverage can be found at www.housingwire.com.

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Jennifer Anspach Named HR Executive of the Year Finalist by Crain?s Cleveland Business

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

News Release
August 18, 2017

Valley View, Ohio, August 18, 2017 – Safeguard Properties, the mortgage field services industry leader, is pleased to announce that Jennifer Anspach, assistant vice president of human capital, has been named an HR Executive of the Year Finalist in the private companies category for Crain’s Cleveland Business’s 2017 Archer Awards.

“We congratulate Jennifer on being recognized for the significant role she plays leading our associates,” said Alan Jaffa, Safeguard’s CEO. “Over the past few years, Jennifer has worked diligently to ensure Safeguard is a premier workplace by establishing new employee policies and initiatives. She is always up for a challenge and deserves this recognition.”

Jennifer is focused on the needs of the company’s associates and their work-life balance through the implementation of innovative initiatives like work from home, part-time, and flex schedules, in addition to a casual dress code, Wellness initiative, and career enhancement and tracking opportunities through goal development and training.

Jennifer’s background in accounting and thorough understanding of each of Safeguard’s service lines enables her to effectively manage recruitment strategies, employee relations, training, personnel policies, retention, and benefits programs. In the three years since she has taken the leadership role in human capital, Jennifer has been successful in reducing the company expense for health care premiums and saving the company in worker’s compensation, unemployment and reducing the full-time employee requirement.

Now in its seventh year, Crain’s Archer Awards program celebrates Northeast Ohio’s human resources professionals who “hit the mark.” In partnership with Howard & O’Brien Executive Search, the awards honor human resources professionals who are building companies with the best people, talent, development and culture.

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Safeguard Properties Announces Two Technology Management Promotions

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

News Release
July 26, 2017

Valley View, OH, July 26, 2017 — Safeguard Properties announced the following appointments to its technology management team:

Steve Machovina, promoted to assistant vice president of technology infrastructure and cloud services for Safeguard, is responsible for the overall management and design of Safeguard’s hybrid cloud infrastructure. He manages all technology engineering staff who support data centers, telecommunications, network, servers, storage, service monitoring, and disaster recovery. Steve joined Safeguard in November 2013 as director of information technology operations. Prior to joining Safeguard, Steve was vice president of information technology at Revol Wireless, a privately held wireless provider in Ohio and Indiana. He also held management positions with Northcoast PCS and Corecomm Communications, and spent nine years as a Coast Guard officer and pilot. Steve holds a BBA in management information systems from Kent State University in Ohio and an MBA from Wayne State University in Michigan.

Jason Heckman, promoted to the assistant vice president of mobile and analytics for Safeguard, is responsible for both Safeguard’s mobile development and strategy as well as the company’s data warehousing and business intelligence. Jason oversees the design, development and release of all Safeguard’s internally developed mobile applications. He also oversees the development and delivery of operational and analytical data technologies throughout the organization. Jason has been with Safeguard since 2012. During that time he led the development and integration of Safeguard’s mobile applications across the company’s vendor network to provide real-time data from the field. Prior to joining Safeguard, Jason was the director of application development and business intelligence for Revol Wireless, a privately held wireless provider in Ohio and Indiana. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.

About Safeguard

Safeguard Properties is the mortgage field services industry leader, preserving vacant and foreclosed properties across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Guam. Founded in 1990 by Robert Klein and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Safeguard provides the highest quality service to our clients by leveraging innovative technologies and proactively developing industry best practices and quality control procedures. Consistent with Safeguard’s values and mission, we are an active supporter of hundreds of charitable efforts across the country. Annually, Safeguard gives back to communities in partnership with our employees, vendors and clients. We also are dedicated to working with community leaders and officials to eliminate blight and stabilize neighborhoods. Learn more at www.safeguardproperties.com.

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HousingWire

Safeguard Properties Announces Two Management Appointments

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

News Release
May 9, 2017

Valley View, OH, May 9, 2017 — Safeguard Properties announced the following appointments to its management team:

Sheilla Lienerth, appointed to assistant vice president of client relations. Sheilla will lead Safeguard’s client account management and process improvement team. Prior to joining Safeguard, Sheilla held a variety of leadership roles that include sales, customer engagement, and performance and business analytics. She is a trained Six Sigma Black Belt and brings a continuous improvement mindset and process discipline to all aspects of her work. Her career includes senior positions with Bridgestone’s credit division and KeyBank. Sheilla has an Executive MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. She began her undergraduate work at Judson University and completed at the New York Institute of Technology receiving a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in business and psychology. Sheilla received the 2015 Executive MBA Leadership Award from Weatherhead and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Judson University.

Lisa Nicholas, appointed to director of finance and accounting. Lisa’s focus will be on managing Safeguard’s accounts receivable and loss management teams. Prior to joining Safeguard, Lisa managed various areas of accounting with increasing responsibility at Forest City Realty Trust, Avery Dennison, and Barnes Distribution. In those capacities, she was responsible for strategic process improvement initiatives, operational efficiency and developing standard process and internal control frameworks. Lisa is a graduate of Franklin University and is the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees for Morning Star Baptist Church in Cleveland.

About Safeguard

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Kellie Chambers Named a 2016 Leading Lady by MReport Magazine

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

News Release
August 31, 2016

Valley View, Ohio, August 30, 2016 – Safeguard Properties is pleased to announce that Kellie Chambers, assistant vice president of investor relations, has been named a 2016 Leading Lady by MReport magazine as part of its Women in Housing recognition.

“I am pleased Kellie is being acknowledged for the significant contribution she makes, not only to Safeguard, but to the industry as a whole,” said Alan Jaffa, Safeguard’s CEO. “She is an asset to the company as our in-house expert on all investor guidelines, property preservation in pre-sale and best practices for maintaining properties.”

Kellie began her career in property preservation in 2001 as a trainer at Safeguard. Her forward-thinking mentality and ability to lead others have helped her climb the ranks within Safeguard from her initial role to supervisor of quality control, manager and director of property preservation and now her current role as the assistant vice president of investor relations. She is an integral part of the company’s executive team and the go-to individual for investor interactions, in addition to playing a critical role in ensuring operational controls, monitoring, and client/supplier communications are in place for investor compliance.

MReport’s 2016 “Power Players,” “Leading Ladies,” and “Emerging Leaders” honorees are part of its September 2016 special issue celebrating the accomplishments of women in the mortgage industry. The 2016 “Power Players” are five mortgage and housing veterans with roles in both the government and private sector. In addition to powerful female leaders, 50 additional women were selected for MReport’s 2016 “Leading Ladies” and “Emerging Leaders” list. The women selected for these honors were nominated by their peers in the industry, who cited all the qualities that make them strong leaders — such as their intelligence, drive, and pursuit of innovation.

About MReport Magazine: MReport seeks to provide specialists in all areas of the mortgage origination industry with the critical information they need to stay on top in today’s competitive market. Focused on four key areas of the mortgage origination business, MReport’s targeted content highlights production, servicing, data and the secondary market. MReport’s editorial coverage can be found at http://www.themreport.com/.

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Kathy Cogan Named a 2016 Rising Star by HousingWire Magazine

Posted on September 13, 2018October 29, 2018 by Safeguard

News Release
June 1, 2016

Valley View, Ohio, June 1, 2016 – Safeguard Properties, the largest mortgage field services company in the U.S., is pleased to announce that Kathy Cogan, assistant vice president of account management, has been named a 2016 Rising Star by HousingWire magazine.

“We congratulate Kathy on being recognized for the significant role she plays in Safeguard’s client interactions and growth during her 13-year career with the company,” said Alan Jaffa, Safeguard’s CEO. “She is a critical part of Safeguard’s executive team and the company’s continued success.”

Kathy’s path within Safeguard has been impressive since she joined the company in 2003 after graduating from Notre Dame as part of the inaugural Management in Training (MIT) program. After only a few short months in the program, Kathy’s skills and abilities were quickly recognized and she was promoted to IT manager of research and development. Kathy has continued to excel at Safeguard with promotions to client account manager in 2007, director of client account management in 2009, and assistant vice president of client account management in 2011.

Building on Kathy’s 13 years of experience, her strong client relationships and her expertise in the REO market, day-to-day Kathy focuses on developing new business opportunities within Safeguard’s existing client base and has taken a more active role in the client onboarding process and contract formation. In this role, Kathy maintains her critical involvement in operations.

HousingWire’s 2016 Rising Stars represent the best young leaders in the mortgage industry — in lending, servicing, investing and real estate. Many of these 50 winners are leading their companies from the C-Suite, deciding overall strategy for their organizations and staking out new territory. Others are contributing through innovation, product development, process enhancements and big data analysis. Across the board, their efforts are energizing not only their individual companies but also animating the entire housing economy.

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Safeguard Properties Announces New Assistant Vice President of Operations

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

News Release
September 3, 2015

Safeguard Properties announced the following appointment within its executive team:

Pat Hoffman, assistant vice president of operations. Hoffman was appointed to this newly created position to assist the COO in identifying and executing on a number of strategic operational initiatives. Prior to joining Safeguard, Hoffman served as director of operations at Capstone Logistics in Norcross, Ga., for 11 years where he managed multiple accounts providing third-party warehouse services to the leading wholesale and retail grocery and foodservice providers. He also implemented quality and performance improvement initiatives, managed safety programs, and delivered results through effective recruiting, training, and team building. Hoffman also served as operations manager at Roadway Express in Kernersville, N.C., managing inbound and outbound operations. He earned his bachelor of business administration in information systems and operations management from the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio.

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 more than 1,500 people at three offices in Northeast Ohio – Valley View, Brooklyn Heights and Mentor – an office in Richardson, Texas, and an office in Mt. Washington, Ky. The company also utilizes a network of thousands of contractors nationally. Website: www.safeguardproperties.com.

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Kellie Chambers Named a 2015 Rising Star by HousingWire Magazine

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

Safeguard Properties announced Vice President of Investor Relations Kellie Chambers as one of the 40 industry professionals to receive the 2015 Rising Star Award by HousingWire magazine.

Safeguard Properties’ Kellie Chambers Named a 2015 Rising Star by HousingWire Magazine

Cleveland, June 5, 2015 – Safeguard Properties, the largest mortgage field services company in the U.S., is pleased to announce that Kellie Chambers, assistant vice president of investor relations, has been named a 2015 Rising Star by HousingWire magazine.

“We are proud that Kellie is being recognized for the significant role she plays in Safeguard’s growth and success, and her dedication to the industry as a whole,” said Alan Jaffa, Safeguard’s CEO. “Her commitment to Safeguard’s motto of Customer Service = Resolution and moving the property preservation/field services industry forward through collaboration and partnerships are what make Kellie a true rising star.”

Kellie began her career in property preservation in 2001 as a new-hire trainer at Safeguard. Her forward-thinking mentality and ability to lead others have helped her climb the ranks within Safeguard from her initial role as a trainer to supervisor of quality control, manager and director of property preservation and now her current role as the assistant vice president of investor relations. She is an integral part of the company’s executive team and the go-to individual for investor interactions, in addition to being a valued expert on all investor guidelines, property preservation in pre-sale and best practices for maintaining properties.

The Rising Star Award honors 40 industry professionals in mortgage finance, originations, servicing, investing and real estate. All are younger than 40 years old and have proven accomplishments that have propelled their companies and the industry as a whole into new levels of growth and profit. They are recognized change agents who aren’t afraid to take risks. Some have developed groundbreaking new software, re-engineered entire systems and launched their own startups. They have seen dramatic growth in sales, in market share and in influence.

Please click here to view the full 2015 Rising Stars list online.

About Safeguard Properties: Safeguard Properties is the mortgage field services industry leader, preserving vacant and foreclosed properties across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Guam. Founded in 1990 by Robert Klein and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Safeguard provides the highest quality service to our clients by leveraging innovative technologies and proactively developing industry best practices and quality control procedures. Consistent with Safeguard’s values and mission, we are an active supporter of hundreds of charitable efforts across the country. Annually, Safeguard gives back to communities in partnership with our employees, vendors and clients. We also are dedicated to working with community leaders and officials to eliminate blight and stabilize neighborhoods. Safeguard is dedicated to preserving today and protecting tomorrow. Learn more at www.safeguardproperties.com.

Safeguard Properties Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

Safeguard Properties announced its 25th anniversary celebration, taking place throughout May 2015.

Safeguard Properties Celebrates 25th Anniversary
Company shares thought leadership and innovation along its 25-year road to success

Cleveland, May 14, 2015 — Safeguard Properties, the largest provider of mortgage field services in the United States, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in May 2015.

“Twenty five years ago Safeguard Properties was a start-up company headed by Robert Klein with one other employee, working out of a small office, servicing three states. Today we are 1,700 employees strong and provide property preservation services to just about every ZIP code in the United States.
The journey has certainly been amazing,” commented Alan Jaffa, Safeguard Properties CEO, who has been with Safeguard since 1995.

Safeguard has put together a 25th anniversary tribute video and timeline that can be viewed on the company’s 25th anniversary web page.

As one of the very first national field services companies, Safeguard found itself in the unique position of having a hand in the molding of an industry. Safeguard is recognized for leading initiatives that have helped set the standard, including developing industry best practices, guiding regulations, and developing innovative technology applications.

Although property preservation is the company’s core business, Safeguard recognizes the importance of building relationships with the communities in which the homes they service reside. Through its Community Initiatives Department, the company proactively collaborates with neighborhoods and civic leaders across the country to share information and resources to help strengthen relationships between the industry, cities, governmental agencies and community organizations.

In recognition of the company’s anniversary, Safeguard will be building off of the tagline “Preserving Today, Protecting Tomorrow”. The company plans to spotlight many of the community service initiatives it participates in on a monthly basis and highlight the role it plays in protecting and preserving neighborhoods and communities.

Safeguard’s impact on the field services industry runs deep. Below are a couple examples of ways it has changed the face of mortgage field services:

Interior Inspections – Safeguard’s founder Robert Klein was instrumental in the decision by HUD to definitively require interior inspections for all properties. For years Safeguard lobbied for mandatory interior inspections to ensure early detection of issues that, if not detected and mitigated, could lead to a material loss to the value of the property. It can be reasonably estimated that this change has saved the industry millions and millions of dollars through the early mitigation of material damages.

Good Neighbor Door Hangers – The Good Neighbor Program was developed to engage neighbors of vacant properties to keep watch on the property and report any issues that arise. It has been successful in quickly addressing thousands of property issues and has earned Safeguard praise from city officials, neighbors and clients.

National Property Preservation Conference – The NPPC is a two-day conference started by Safeguard in 2004 that brings together leaders from HUD, the GSEs, mortgage servicers and field services companies from across the nation. The annual conference provides a forum for strengthening partnerships, cooperation, and support throughout the industry.

Technology Investment and Leadership – Safeguard’s information technology investments have focused on core technologies designed to improve the timeliness, security, accuracy and quality of the services we provide to our clients. From Mobile applications to geo spatial tools, robust client and vendor portals to integrated data warehousing and reporting capabilities, Safeguard has led the industry in creating and providing automated tools to our vendors and clients that provide transparency and quality to the work performed in the field.

“We have proven that we can adapt quickly to market changes by looking ahead and using creative thinking to advance industry standards and best practices. Technology investment is a core component of our service delivery model and has allowed us to remain competitive and provide our clients with the quality services they have come to expect from Safeguard,” said Jaffa. “By far, our largest investment has been in technology, and I can confidently say that the field services companies that are investing in technology today are the companies that plan to be in this industry for the long haul.”

About Safeguard
Safeguard Properties is the mortgage field services industry leader, preserving vacant and foreclosed properties across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Guam. Founded in 1990 by Robert Klein and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Safeguard provides the highest quality service to our clients by leveraging innovative technologies and proactively developing industry best practices and quality control procedures. Consistent with Safeguard’s values and mission, we are an active supporter of hundreds of charitable efforts across the country. Annually, Safeguard gives back to communities in partnership with our employees, vendors and clients. We also are dedicated to working with community leaders and officials to eliminate blight and stabilize neighborhoods. Safeguard is dedicated to preserving today and protecting tomorrow. Website: www.safeguardproperties.com.

Safeguard Properties Named to 2015 InformationWeek Elite 100 List

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

In its first year entering the competition, Safeguard Properties has ranked 17 on the annual list, which showcases top business technology innovators in the U.S.

Safeguard Properties Named to 2015 InformationWeek Elite 100 List of Technology Innovators

Cleveland, April 29, 2015 – Safeguard Properties, the largest mortgage field services company in the U.S., is pleased to announce that it ranked 17 on this year’s InformationWeek Elite 100 – a list of the top business technology innovators in the U.S. The rankings were announced Tuesday, April 28 during the annual InformationWeek Conference.

Safeguard also was named a finalist for a Business Innovator Award in the category of Workforce Performance, named one of the “Top 20 Great Ideas of 2014”, and included in Informationweek.com’s list of “20 Great Ideas To Steal in 2015.”

This was Safeguard’s first year entering the competition and the company joins an impressive list of winners.

“It is Safeguard’s mission to provide preservation services and innovative technologies that proactively protect communities across the country on behalf of our mortgage servicing clients. The Mobile Inspections Quality Control suite continues Safeguard’s tradition of investing in technologies that help solve the industry’s most challenging problems while maintaining the highest level of service,” said George Mehok, Safeguard Chief Information Officer.

Safeguard designed and built the industry’s first Mobile Inspections Quality Control suite to reduce risks, expedite results reported from the field and improve the quality of information provided to our clients. This system combines the power of mobility and big data analytics to deliver consistent and expedited results by our network of inspectors. The suite includes a mobile application built on consumer grade devices for the Apple iPhone®, iPad® or Android™ devices.

Safeguard’s Inspections Quality Control suite, which includes INSPI Mobile, INSPI QC and MapAlert®, provides inspectors with the ability to collect property condition data and corresponding photo evidence, AND submit results in real-time from the field. Safeguard’s goal is to drive greater business efficiencies through mobile and data analytics. The Inspections Quality Control suite is a transformative mobile application that has yielded increases in company productivity, vendor productivity and customer satisfaction.
The InformationWeek Elite 100 research tracks the technology-based investments, strategies, and results of some of the best-known organizations in the country. Unique among corporate rankings, the InformationWeek Elite 100 spotlights the power of business technology innovation.

“At InformationWeek, we talk about this as ‘IT Without Borders,’ as we see the best IT leaders tearing down traditional borders to help every department leverage technologies such as data analytics, cloud, and mobility. The 2015 InformationWeek Elite 100 spotlights companies at which IT is not only inseparable from every department, it’s pivotal to every customer experience,” said InformationWeek Editor Chris Murphy.

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About Safeguard Properties: Safeguard Properties is the mortgage field services industry leader, preserving vacant and foreclosed properties across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Guam. Founded in 1990 by Robert Klein and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Safeguard provides the highest quality service to our clients by leveraging innovative technologies and proactively developing industry best practices and quality control procedures. Consistent with Safeguard’s values and mission, we are an active supporter of hundreds of charitable efforts across the country. Annually, Safeguard gives back to communities in partnership with our employees, vendors and clients. We also are dedicated to working with community leaders and officials to eliminate blight and stabilize neighborhoods. Safeguard is dedicated to preserving today and protecting tomorrow. Learn more at www.safeguardproperties.com.

About InformationWeek: For more than 30 years, InformationWeek has provided millions of IT executives worldwide with the insight and perspective they need to leverage the business value of technology. InformationWeek provides CIOs and IT executives with commentary, analysis and research through its thriving online community, digital issues, webcasts, proprietary research and live, in-person events. InformationWeek’s award-winning editorial coverage can be found at www.informationweek.com. InformationWeek is produced by UBM Tech.