MHA HAMP Reporting Update New Year’s Day Holiday Support and System Availability

Investor Update
December 28, 2015

HAMP® Reporting System response files will not be available between 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 31, 2015 and 8:00 a.m. ET on Monday, January 4, 2016.

During this time frame, the HAMP Reporting Tool will be available for servicers to submit and upload HAMP loan data files and the corresponding response files will be provided.

The HAMP Solution Center (HSC) will close at 3:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 31 and will resume operations at 9:00 a.m. ET on Monday, January 4. 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 Monday.

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

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

Source: MHA

MHA HAMP Reporting Update HAMP NPV Transaction Portal Outage

Investor Update
December 7, 2015

Due to system maintenance, the HAMP NPV Transaction Portal will be unavailable from 9:00 p.m. ET Friday, December 18, 2015 through 8:00 a.m. ET Monday, December 21, 2015.

Servicers will not be able to access the HAMP NPV Transaction Portal during this time period.

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

Source: MHA

MHA HAMP Reporting Update Christmas Day Holiday Support and System Availability

Investor Update
December 21, 2015

HAMP® Reporting System response files will not be available between 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 24, 2015 and 8:00 a.m. ET on Monday, December 28, 2015.

During this time frame, the HAMP Reporting Tool will be available for servicers to submit and upload HAMP loan data files and the corresponding response files will be provided.

The HAMP Solution Center (HSC) will close at 3:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 24 and will resume operations at 9:00 a.m. ET on Monday, December 28. Servicers may contact the HSC by phone or email at anytime; however, phone messages and emails will be held in queue until the center reopens on Monday.

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

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

Source: MHA

Freddie Mac: Make Loan Coverage Advisor Work for You

Investor Update
December 8, 2015

Wouldn’t it be great if a tool easily provided you with the loan-level details you’re looking for, including information on representations and warranties, credit enhancements, and mortgage insurance (MI) coverage? Well, there is such a tool and it’s called Freddie Mac Loan Coverage Advisor®. Best of all, it’s free to use, available 24/7 and updated daily.
 
Dig Deeper Into Your Portfolio
 
Loan Coverage Advisor provides you with greater transparency into the loans that you service for Freddie Mac, including:

  • Tracking the complete servicing transfer history.
  • Providing loan-level details on credit enhancements and MI coverage.
  • Querying at the loan- or aggregate-level to track loan-level data that’s important to you.
  • Facilitating  proactive surveillance of your portfolio, so you can get out in front of potential issues (e.g. monitoring delinquency trends).

You can easily query and export all the information above to Microsoft® Excel.

For More Information

Source: Freddie Mac

Freddie Mac Announces Holiday Eviction Moratorium Between December 18, 2015 to January 3, 2016

Investor Update
December 10, 2015

MCLEAN, VA–(Marketwired) – Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today announced a nationwide suspension of eviction lock-outs between December 18, 2015, and January 3, 2016. The moratorium applies to all foreclosed occupied single family homes and 2-4 unit properties that had Freddie Mac owned-or guaranteed mortgages.

Freddie Mac Quote:

Attribute to Chris Bowden, Senior Vice President of REO at Freddie Mac.

“Today’s announcement is intended to provide a greater measure of certainty to families during the upcoming holiday season. We also strongly urge homeowners who are facing financial challenges and possible foreclosures to explore Freddie Mac’s workout options with their mortgage servicers. They do help and have prevented more than 1.1 million foreclosures since 2009.”

News Facts:

  • The holiday suspension will apply to eviction lockouts on Freddie Mac-owned REO homes but will not affect other pre- or post-foreclosure activities.
  • Companies managing local evictions for Freddie Mac may continue to file documentation as needed during the suspension period.
  • Freddie Mac has helped more than 1.1 million financially troubled borrowers avoid foreclosure. For more information on Freddie Mac mortgage relief, visit My Home by Freddie Mac(SM).

 

Source: Freddie Mac

FHLMC Guide Bulletin 2015-22: Servicing Updates

Investor Update
December 16, 2015

In today’s Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide (Guide) Bulletin 2015-22, we’re providing greater transparency and efficiencies for certain servicing requirements and provisions, including servicing defects and remedies, and borrower contact and solicitation.
 
Key Highlights

  • Announcing the servicing remedies framework, which provides greater transparency into the existing end-to-end servicing remedy process. For more details, check out our new Servicing Remedies Framework FAQ [pdf].
  • Simplifying our borrower contact and solicitation requirements by providing you with more flexibility to match your specific portfolio needs. We also shortened our borrower solicitation letter significantly making it easier for borrowers to  understand available workout options and next steps. See table below for more details.
  • Removing the expiration date for supplemental borrower incentive payments for deed-in-lieu of foreclosure transactions.
  • Eliminating the $500 transfer processing fee for all subsequent transfers of servicing requests submitted on or after December 16, 2015.

 

Please read Guide Bulletin 2015-22 for more details on these and additional updates.

Source: Freddie Mac (Greater Transparency and Efficiencies in Guide Bulletin 2015-22 full article)

Additional Resource
Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide Bulletin 2015-22

FHFA: Suspended Counterparty Program

Investor Update
December 23, 2015

?SUMMARY: This final rule establishes requirements and procedures for the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) Suspended Counterparty Program. Under the Suspended Counterparty Program, FHFA may issue suspension orders directing the regulated entities (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the eleven Federal Home Loan Banks (Banks)) to cease doing business with an individual or institution, and any affiliate thereof, for a specified period of time where such party has committed fraud or other financial misconduct involving a mortgage transaction. 

The final rule revises the interim final rule published on October 23, 2013. The final rule excludes from the types of covered transactions that would be subject to a final suspension order any transaction involving a residential mortgage loan if the loan is secured by the respondent’s own personal or household residence. The final rule provides more time than the interim final regulation provided for the regulated entities to submit reports to FHFA when they become aware that any individual or institution, and any affiliate thereof, with which they do business, has committed fraud or other financial misconduct involving a mortgage transaction. The final rule also simplifies the standard for issuing suspension orders by eliminating the requirement that FHFA demonstrate that the regulated entity has done business with the individual or institution within the past three years. Finally, the final rule clarifies the method of issuing notices of proposed suspension orders with respect to affiliates.

Source: FHFA

FHFA Releases 2016 Scorecard for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Common Securitization Solutions

Investor Update
December 17, 2015

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today released the 2016 Scorecard outlining specific, conservatorship priorities for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and their joint venture, Common Securitization Solutions, LLC.  The 2016 Scorecard furthers the goals outlined in FHFA’s Strategic Plan for the Conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, published in May 2014.  These goals include:

  • Maintain, in a safe and sound manner, credit availability and foreclosure prevention activities for new and refinanced mortgages to foster liquid, efficient, competitive and resilient national housing finance markets;
  • Reduce taxpayer risk through increasing the role of private capital in the mortgage market; and
  • Build a new single-family securitization infrastructure for use by the Enterprises and adaptable for use by other participants in the secondary market in the future.

“The progress Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made in 2015 substantially advanced the goals set forth in our Conservatorship Strategic Plan and we expect to build on this progress in 2016,” said FHFA Director Melvin L. Watt.  “The new Scorecard will guide Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Common Securitization Solutions as they continue working to foster liquidity and access to credit for creditworthy borrowers in the national housing finance markets in a safe and sound manner.”

Link to 2016 Scorecard for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Common Securitization Solutions

Contacts:
Media: Corinne Russell (202) 649-3032 / Stefanie Johnson (202) 649-3030
Consumers: Consumer Communications or (202) 649-3811

Source: FHFA

Additional Resource:
FHFA Insights Blog (2016 Scorecard for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Common Securitization Solutions)

FHFA Issues Proposed Rule on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Duty to Serve Underserved Markets

Updated 7/21/16: The FHFA posted a blog titled Update on FHFA’s Proposed Rule on Duty to Serve Underserved Markets.

Link to blog

Investor Update
December 15, 2015

?Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is seeking comments on a proposed rule to implement the Duty to Serve provisions of the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992, as amended by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.  This statute requires Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) to serve three specified underserved markets:  manufactured housing, affordable housing preservation and rural markets.  The proposed rule would require the Enterprises to adopt plans to improve the distribution and availability of mortgage financing in a safe and sound manner for residential properties that serve very low-, low-, and moderate-income families in the three specified underserved markets.  

The proposed rule would provide Duty to Serve credit for eligible Enterprise activities that facilitate a secondary market for mortgages on residential properties in the specified underserved markets.  It would also establish a method for evaluating and rating the Enterprises’ performance each year, on which FHFA would report annually to Congress.  

Each Enterprise would be required to submit to FHFA an Underserved Markets Plan covering a three-year period that describes the activities and objectives it will undertake to meet its Duty to Serve. 

  • For the manufactured housing market, Duty to Serve credit would be provided for eligible Enterprise activities related to manufactured homes financed as real property and blanket loans for certain categories of manufactured housing communities. 
  • For the affordable housing preservation market, Duty to Serve credit would be provided for eligible Enterprise activities related to preserving the affordability of housing for renters and homebuyers, including activities under the programs specified in the Safety and Soundness Act.  Duty to Serve credit would also be provided for activities related to existing small multifamily rental properties, energy efficiency improvements on existing multifamily rental and single-family first-lien properties, shared equity homeownership programs and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative and Rental Assistance Demonstration program.  
  • For the rural market, Duty to Serve credit would be provided for eligible Enterprise activities related to housing in rural areas, including activities serving the following high-needs rural regions and populations:  Middle Appalachia, the Lower Mississippi Delta, colonias, members of a Native American tribe located in a Native American area, and migrant and seasonal agricultural workers.

FHFA would provide an Enterprise Duty to Serve credit for additional eligible activities identified by an Enterprise in its Underserved Markets Plan for the specific underserved market.  Qualifying activities that promote residential economic diversity in one or more underserved markets would also receive Duty to Serve credit. 

FHFA invites interested parties to submit comments on all aspects of the proposed rule within 90 days of publication in the Federal Register via FHFA.gov.  The public comment period commences and public comments may be submitted upon publication of the proposed rule in the Federal Register.

Link to Proposed Rule sent to Federal Register?

Link to Fact Sheet?

Contacts:
Media: Stefanie Johnson (202) 649-3030 / Corinne Russell (202) 649-3032 
Consumers: Consumer Communications or (202) 649-3811

Source: FHFA

Technical Amendments: FHFA Address and Zip Code Change

Investor Update
December 28, 2015

SUMMARY: The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is issuing this final rule as a technical change to correct regulatory references to FHFA’s address and postal zip code.

DATES: Effective December 24, 2015. For additional information, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Crystal Miller, Crystal.Miller@fhfa.gov, (202) 649–3079, Paralegal Specialist (not a toll-free number), Office of General Counsel, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Constitution Center, Eighth Floor (OGC), 400 7th Street SW., Washington, DC 20219. The telephone number for the Telecommunications Device for the Hearing Impaired is (800) 877–8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

FHFA Headquarters Address Change

In January 2012, FHFA moved to a new headquarters building in Southwest Washington, DC. As a result, the addresses for FHFA’s former locations in Northwest Washington, DC, included in 12 CFR 1203.29, 1209.15(a), 1263.5(a)(2), and 1264.6(a) are now out-of-date. This final rule amends those regulations to replace the FHFA’s former addresses with its current address, 400 7th Street SW., Washington, DC 20219.

FHFA Zip Code Change

Effective November 1, 2015, all mail addressed to FHFA is being processed through a different mail processing facility. This facility change required that FHFA use a new zip code. As a result, the zip code in the addresses for the FHFA included in 12 CFR 1200.1(b), 1200.2(g), 1202.3(c), 1202.5(a), 1202.9(a), 1204.3(b), 1204.5(b)(2), 1209.102(a)(1), and 1215.7(b) are now out-of-date. This final rule amends those regulations to replace the FHFA’s zip code, which changed from 20024 to 20219. The street address of 400 7th Street SW., Washington, DC remains the same.

FHFA submitted a change-of-address request to the local United States Post Office to forward mail containing the old zip code; however, mail addressed with the zip code 20024 after November 1, 2015, may result in delayed delivery to all FHFA offices.

II. Notice and Comment

Pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), notice and comment are not required prior to the issuance of a final rule if an aagency, for good cause, finds that ‘‘notice and public procedure thereon are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest.’’ 1 FHFA finds that public notice and comment on this final rule are unnecessary. The final rule’s update of FHFA’s address and postal zip code is purely a technical change to the Agency’s regulations and provides FHFA’s regulated entities, interested parties, and other members of the public with FHFA’s current and accurate location and mailing address information. For these reasons, FHFA has good cause to conclude that advance notice and comment under the APA for this rulemaking are unnecessary.

III. Effective Date

This final rule is effective on December 24, 2015. Pursuant to the APA, a final rule may be effective without 30 days advance publication in the Federal Register if an agency finds good cause and publishes its finding with the final rule.2 As described above, the updates made by this final rule to FHFA’s physical addresses and zip code are technical changes and will have no substantive effect on FHFA’s regulated entities, interested parties, or other members of the public. Therefore, the FHFA finds good cause to dispense with a delayed effective date.

1 5 U.S.C. 553(b).
2 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3).

Source: FHFA

Additional Resource: 
Federal Register Citation [pdf]

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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