Safeguard Properties

Archives For: foreclosure rate

U.S. Foreclosure Rates by State – September 2025

ATTOM provides a state-by-state ranking of foreclosure rates along with the top counties driving activity in each state.

10 Oct 2025

How Climate Change Could Cause Foreclosure Rate to Spike Nearly 400%

Climate change could be responsible for a 380% spike in foreclosures by 2035, according to a National Risk Assessment by research firm First Street.

31 Jul 2025

Black Knight: Mortgage Delinquency Rate Increased Slightly in July

According to Black Knight’s First Look report for July 2023, the percent of delinquent loans increased slightly while the percent of loans in foreclosure decreased slightly.

23 Aug 2023

Black Knight: “Past-Due Mortgages Approach Recent Record Lows” in May

Black Knight’s First Look report shows the percentage of delinquent loans decreased by 6% in May compared to April.

23 Jun 2023

Mixed Economic News Shows Rise in Mortgage Delinquencies, but Big Drop in Foreclosures

Black Knight reported the national mortgage delinquency rate rose by 13% in April, while foreclosure starts saw a decrease of 23%.

24 May 2023

Zombie Property Count Inches Up Again in Third Quarter of 2022 Across U.S. Amid Continued Rise in Foreclosure Activity

ATTOM’s 3rd quarter 2022 Vacant Property and Zombie Foreclosure Report revealed that the number of properties in foreclosure increased by 4.4% over 2nd quarter.

18 Aug 2022

Schenectady Awarded for Work Combating Urban Blight

Schenectady has won national recognition for it’s CODE Program, which works to mitigate urban blight by sharing info about abandoned homes and problem property owners.

26 Apr 2022

Black Knight: Mortgage Delinquencies Hit Record Low in March, Driven by Both Seasonal and Economic Improvements

Black Knight reports that mortgage delinquencies dropped by more than half a percentage point in March, shattering previous record lows.

25 Apr 2022

Mortgage Delinquencies Continued to Drop in October, but Foreclosure Starts Inched Up

Mortgage delinquencies continued to drop during October, falling to just 3.74% of all loans, according to Black Knight’s First Look report.

22 Nov 2021

Post-Moratorium Foreclosure Activity Rises Modestly

Foreclosure filings increased in the fourth month following the July 31 expiration of the pandemic related moratorium. ATTOM says those filings were up 5.0 percent in October compared to September with 20,587 properties the subject of a default notice, scheduled auction, or actual bank repossession.

12 Nov 2021

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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