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From new appointments and research to new technology and rule changes, get the latest buzz on the industry in this weekly update.
Freddie Mac announced a new partnership with re-employment solutions company NextJob to provide job search assistance to current and aspiring homeowners living in high-needs and other persistent poverty areas. The initiative, undertaken as part of Freddie Mac’s three-year Duty to Serve plan, serves as an expansion of the partnership between the two companies that will help financially distressed homeowners in these underserved markets.
“While some parts of the country are benefitting from low unemployment rates, many rural areas continue to see limited opportunities and flattening or declining wage growth,” said Mike Dawson, VP of Single-Family Affordable Lending Strategies and Initiatives at Freddie Mac. “Through our work with NextJob, and by partnering with leading local organizations on the front lines of this problem, we are capitalizing on the success of our past employment programs to help the next frontier of unmet workforce development needs. This partnership will provide meaningful opportunities to create and sustain homeownership for families across rural America.”
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Ocwen Financial Corporation, a leading financial services holding company headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, will again join forces with the NAACP to host a borrower outreach event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to help families having trouble making their mortgage payments.
“Over the last three years, Ocwen and the NAACP have worked together on our “Help & Hope for Homeowners” initiative, which helps homeowners explore responsible loan modifications options to remain in their homes,” Jill Showell, SVP of Government and Community Relations at Ocwen said. “We urge Ocwen customers to attend this event, and have the opportunity to work one-on-one with trusted advisors to make your mortgage payments more affordable.”
The event, which is part of Ocwen’s “Help & Hope for Homeowners” initiative with the NAACP, is designed exclusively for Ocwen customers and will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., EDT, on Saturday, June 23, at Bright Hope Baptist Church, located at 12th Street & Cecil B. Moore Avenue in Philadelphia near Temple University.
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Washington-based association U.S Mortgage Insurers(USMI) has announced that Bradley Shuster, Chairman, and CEO of National Mortgage Insurance Corporation (National MI) will serve as the association's Chairman. He succeeds Patrick Sinks, CEO of Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC) and will be supported in his efforts by Vice Chair, Richard Thornberry, CEO of Radian Group Inc.
According to USMI, Shuster's appointment comes at a "significant time in the housing finance system, which remains at the center of national policy debates."
"The housing finance system continues to strengthen and make enhancements to safety and soundness that make it more resilient, and the private mortgage insurance industry has played a significant role in these improvements," Shuster said after his appointment. "As policymakers consider how to put the housing finance system on a sustainable, long-term path for the future, I am excited to serve as USMI’s Chairman to continue to champion the important role private mortgage insurance plays–and will continue to play–in facilitating responsible low down payment lending while protecting the government and taxpayers against mortgage credit risk.”
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Florida-headquartered Aces Risk Management (ARMCO) has promoted Sharon Reichhardt, the company's director of client services to the position of VP, Client Success. In her new role, Reichhardt will manage ongoing adoption by customers of the full feature-set of the ACES Audit Technology platform, ARMCO’s flagship product. She will also oversee ARMCO’s professional services division, which focuses on expanding usage and understanding of the company's technology and data products by working closely with clients to configure the ACES platform for maximum efficiency and return on investment.
“As a former client, Sharon knows firsthand the operational challenges that the industry faces and how ACES can be leveraged to save costs, introduce efficiency and transparency and reduce risk to financial institutions,” said Avi Naider, CEO, ARMCO. “With her vast experience implementing ACES across multiple divisions at a large bank and across multiple clients as a director, Sharon is the perfect fit for this important position at the company.”
Reichhardt brings over 25 years of mortgage industry experience to her post. Prior to joining ARMCO, she spent 20 years at EverBank, where she held various management level positions, primarily in quality control. During her tenure at EverBank, Reichhardt was the primary administrator of the ACES platform across several divisions at the bank.
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Dyck-O’Neal, Inc., a Texas-based subsidiary of The Prescott Group, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, following a year of growth and expansion. Originally founded in 1988 as a debt recovery firm specializing in the nationwide resolution of commercial and consumer judgments, deficiencies, and charge-offs, the company has evolved over the years and now purchases and services a variety of performing, sub-performing, and non-performing loans.
In 1993, Dyck-O'Neal partnered with the FDIC in their JDC program, working to resolve and recover on portfolios of loans from failed financial institutions. Dyck-O'Neal's partnership with the FDIC continues today, and the company also offers a full scope of loan resolution services, including turnkey portfolio review, servicing, and recovery for acquired portfolios and whole-loan purchases, providing services for the GSEs, FDIC, mortgage insurers, banks, private equity firms, mortgage REITs, and investors nationwide.
“Dyck-O’Neal’s growth has been driven by our strategic approach to putting borrowers first when settling or servicing real estate debt,” said Jori O’Neal, Founder. She added, “Our professional staff helps families improve their credit and live a better life.”
