Safeguard Properties Celebrates 25th Anniversary
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.
