Safeguard Properties

USDA: Status Reporting – Handbook-1-3555 Update

Posted on by Safeguard

Investor Update
May 17, 2017

On March 17, 2017, Chapter 17, HB-1-3555 was updated to clarify that servicers should continue submitting monthly and quarterly status reports through foreclosure and until the loss claim is paid.  More details on this subject may be found in Chapter 17, Paragraph 17.3 and Appendix 8 of the program handbook.
 
Questions regarding this announcement may be directed to Penny Nowak of the National Finance and Accounting Operations Center at 314-457-4209 or penny.nowak@stl.usda.gov.

Help Resources

Policy Questions
Customer Service Center
Phone: 866-550-5887
Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Division
Phone: 202-720-1452
 
USDA ITS Service Desk Support Center
For e-Authentication assistance
Email: eAuthHelpDesk@ftc.usda.gov
Phone: 800-457-3642, option 1 (USDA e-Authentication Issues)
 
Rural Development Help Desk
For GUS system, outage or functionality assistance
Email: RD.HD@STL.USDA.GOV
Phone: 800-457-3642, option 2 (USDA Applications); then option 2 (Rural Development)

Source: USDA

USDA: Handbook-1-3555 Changes – Chapter 18

Posted on by Safeguard

Investor Update
May 17, 2017

On May 17, 2017, Chapter 18, HB-1-3555 was updated to amend guidance around approving short sales and deeds in lieu to borrowers who do not occupy the security property.  Details on this subject are provided in the Loss Mitigation Guide found in Attachment A of Chapter 18 of the program handbook.
 
Questions regarding this announcement may be directed to Richard Kane in the Rural Housing National Office at 202-720-1452 or Richard.Kane@wdc.usda.gov.

Help Resources

Policy Questions
Customer Service Center
Phone: 866-550-5887
Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Division
Phone: 202-720-1452
 
USDA ITS Service Desk Support Center
For e-Authentication assistance
Email: eAuthHelpDesk@ftc.usda.gov
Phone: 800-457-3642, option 1 (USDA e-Authentication Issues)
 
Rural Development Help Desk
For GUS system, outage or functionality assistance
Email: RD.HD@STL.USDA.GOV
Phone: 800-457-3642, option 2 (USDA Applications); then option 2 (Rural Development)

Source: USDA

MHA: HMPadmin.com Intermittently Unavailable Late Friday/Early Saturday

Posted on by Safeguard

Investor Update
May 18, 2017

HMPadmin.com will be intermittently unavailable from Friday, May 19, 2017 9:00 p.m. ET to Saturday, May 20, 2017 6:00 a.m. ET. During this time, servicers will be unable to access the NPV Transaction Portal through HMPadmin.com.
 
Source: MHA

MHA HAMP Update: Updated Reporting Guidance Posted, MHA Loan State Change, Servicer Loan Number Change

Posted on by Safeguard

Investor Update
May 2, 2017

MHA Loan State Change Request Process

Effective May 2017, updated guidance for the MHA Loan State Change Request Process is posted within the Data Reporting tab, under the MHA Loan State Change Request Process section on the secure side of HMPadmin.com (login required).

  • MHA Loan State Change Request Process

Servicer Loan Number Change Request Process

The Servicer Loan Number Change Request Process has been updated to append a prefix of ‘ERR’ in certain scenarios (step 6). Updated guidance can be found within the Data Reporting tab, under the Servicer Loan Number Change Request Process section on the secure side of HMPadmin.com (login required).

  • Servicer Loan Number Change Request Process

Questions?
Email the HAMP Solution Center or call 1-866-939-4469.

Source: MHA

MHA HAMP Update: Updated Reporting Guidance Posted

Posted on by Safeguard

Investor Update
May 8, 2017

Effective May 13, 2017, an updated MHA Request for Loan State Change form must be used for Loan State Change submissions. The form is posted within the Data Reporting tab, under the MHA Loan State Change Request Process section on the secure side of HMPadmin.com (login required).

Servicers must use the existing form, last updated December 08, 2016, for submissions prior to May 13, 2017.

Please refer to the MHA Loan State Change Request Process for detailed steps to complete your submission of the updated form.

Questions?
Email the HAMP Solution Center or call 1-866-939-4469.

Source: MHA

MHA HAMP Update: MHA Loan State Change Request Process Update

Posted on by Safeguard

Investor Update
May 25, 2017

Reporting guidance for the MHA Loan State Change Request Process was posted May 02, 2017. Additional guidance has been incorporated at the link below which can be viewed within the Data Reporting tab, under the MHA Loan State Change Request Process section on the secure side of HMPadmin.com (login required).

MHA Loan State Change Request Process

Questions?
Email the HAMP Solution Center or call 1-866-939-4469.

Source: MHA

MHA HAMP Update: Memorial Day Holiday Support and System Availability

Posted on by Safeguard

Investor Update
May 22, 2017

Updated Data Dictionary Posted

In connection with the July 2017 release of the HAMP Reporting System, an updated version of the following Data Dictionary was posted on HMPadmin.com:

  • HAMP Data Dictionary  – 07/01/2017 Release

Memorial Day Holiday Support and System Availability

Due to the observance of Memorial Day, the HAMP Reporting System response files will not be available between 6:00 p.m. ET on Friday, May 26, 2017 and 8:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, May 30, 2017; they will be sent as soon as the system is available.

During this timeframe, the HAMP Reporting Tool will be available for servicers to submit and upload HAMP loan data files, and the corresponding Black Knight response files will be provided as usual.

The HAMP Solution Center (HSC) will close at 6:00 p.m. ET on Friday, May 26, 2017 and will resume operations at 9:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. Servicers may contact the HSC by phone or email at any time; however, phone messages and emails will be held in queue until the center reopens on Tuesday.

The NPV Transaction Portal will be available for normal processing during this period.

Source: MHA (full update)

MHA HAMP Update: HAMP Reporting Tool Security Update Reminder

Posted on by Safeguard

Investor Update
May 11, 2017

As part of our ongoing effort to provide high levels of security, Black Knight Data & Analytics will implement necessary security settings on the HAMP servers. This is in response to required changes to internet security protocols for Transport Layer Security (TLS). These changes will occur in the Servicer Test environment Thursday, May 18, 2017 from approximately 8:00 p.m. ET to Friday, May 19, 2017 10:30 a.m. ET, and then in the Production environment on Sunday, May 28, 2017 from 6:00 a.m. ET to 12:00 p.m. ET.

This will affect users’ ability to access the HAMP Reporting Tool. It is strongly recommended that users update their internet browsers to the most current version and ensure all security patches have been applied.

What Is The Impact For Users?
Users of older browsers (Internet Explorer (IE) 6 and lower versions) and older operating systems (Windows XP and lower versions) will no longer be able to access the HAMP Reporting Tool web site.

What Must I Do?
Upgrade the operating system on your computer to at least Windows 7 or a later version. Upgrade your browser to at least IE 7.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we strive to continually enhance your experience.

Questions?
Call 1-866-939-4469: select option 1, then option 5 for Black Knight Financial Services (BKFS).

Source: MHA

MHA HAMP Update: HAMP Reporting Tool security Update Complete

Posted on by Safeguard

Investor Update
May 30, 2017

As part of our ongoing effort to provide high levels of security, Black Knight Data & Analytics has implemented necessary security settings on the HAMP servers. This was in response to required changes to internet security protocols for Transport Layer Security (TLS). These changes were completed in the Production environment on Sunday, May 28, 2017.

What is The Impact for Users?
Users of older browsers (Internet Explorer (IE) 6 and lower versions) and older operating systems (Windows XP and lower versions) will no longer be able to access the HAMP Reporting Tool web site. It is strongly recommended that users update their internet browsers to the most current version and ensure all security patches have been applied.

What Must I Do?
Upgrade the operating system on your computer to at least Windows 7 or a later version. Upgrade your browser to at least IE 7.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we strive to continually enhance your experience.

Questions?
Call 1-866-939-4469: select option 1, then option 5 for Black Knight Financial Services (BKFS).

Source: MHA

HUD Allocates Additional $163 Million to Help States and Local Governments Recover From 2015, 2016 Disasters

Posted on by Safeguard

Investor Update
May 18, 2017

Funding to support recovery in Louisiana, West Virginia, Texas, Carolinas and Florida

WASHINGTON – U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson today announced an additional $163 million to help several state and local communities to recovery from severe flooding that occurred in 2015 and 2016. The grants announced today are provided through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program. Combined with CDBG-DR grants already allocated, HUD’s investment to these areas totals nearly $3 billion.

CDBG-Disaster Recovery grants can support a wide variety of activities including housing redevelopment, business assistance and infrastructure repair. State and local governments in Louisiana, West Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida will target these grants in “the most impacted” areas. HUD’s allocations are based on the unmet costs to repair seriously damaged properties and infrastructure in the counties determined by HUD to be most impacted.

“Today, HUD makes another investment to support long-term disaster recovery in communities that continue to experience significant and persistent need,” said Secretary Carson. “Supporting the people and places still struggling to rebuild is a top priority at HUD.”

Background

On May 5th, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017, which included $400 million to support recovery from major disasters in 2015 and later. The Act directs HUD to allocate the remaining funds ($236.3 million) at a future date to areas that experience disasters meeting the ‘most impacted’ threshold HUD announced last January. Read HUD’s January 18, 2017 notice.

This $400 million is in addition to a total of $2.6 billion in CDBG-DR funding previously appropriated to assist in recovery from major disasters in 2015 and 2016. Read HUD’s news release for details of these prior allocations.

To determine these disaster recovery allocations, HUD analyzes the most currently available data of the unmet costs to repair seriously damaged properties and infrastructure in the most-impacted counties. HUD will shortly publish a notice in the Federal Register which will define the criteria for the use of these funds.

Source: HUD (full release)

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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