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» exceptional service. That commitment to both employees and clients is driving our expansion," said Michael Isaacs, president of Residential Finance. Residential Finance was also recognized in Inc. Magazine's 500/5000 list, which features the country's fastest-growing companies. eLynx Enables E-Signatures on IRS Form for Income Verification In late November 2012, Cincinnati-based eLynx, a portfolio company of American Capital, announced its compliance with all guidelines recently published by the IRS for obtaining electronic signatures on Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return. According to FBI statistics, more than 60 percent of all mortgage fraud includes income or identity misrepresentations, eLynx notes. To help combat this type of fraud, the 4506-T allows lenders to verify a borrower's income. It's a requirement for virtually all mortgage originations and loan modifications. Until recently, the 4506-T was the only document in a mortgage disclosure package that had to be manually signed. Beginning on January 7, 2013, the new IRS guidelines allow the 4506-T to be signed electronically. According to eLynx, removing this e-signature roadblock will not only streamline income verification, but also will improve data quality and enable lenders to render decisions on loans faster. "This was the last industry hurdle to achieve a fully electronic set of disclosures, and to move mortgage lenders closer to a paperless mortgage," said Sharon Matthews, president and CEO of eLynx. "Banks will see a significant reduction in processing time and costs, an increase in accuracy and transparency, and deliver a better borrower experience." Matthews added, "The IRS's decision demonstrates how government and commercial entities can come together on initiatives that benefit the entire industry." eLynx's eSignature service addresses all requirements of the digital Form 4506-T from initial authentication and consent to maintaining a tamper-proof seal and audit trail of the transaction. eLynx can provide an electronically signed 4506-T with all supporting data to any IRS Income Verification Express Service (IVES) provider. Using eLynx's eSignature service, lenders can immediately realize the advantages of an electronically signed 4506-T integrated with electronic delivery and loan folders. In addition, eLynx's eSignature services can be combined with its print-and-mail services—which the company describes as "fail-proof"—to ensure compliance with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act on mortgage disclosures. Safeguard Properties Holds 9th Annual Property Preservation Conference Safeguard Properties held its ninth annual National Property Preservation Conference in early November 2012. The conference specifically focuses on property preservation issues in the mortgage servicing industry. The two-day event, which concluded Friday, November 9, 2012 featured Alfred Pollard, general counsel of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as the keynote speaker. Some of the issues Pollard touched on were crafting solutions in the middle of a crisis and the mission to build, contract, and maintain Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The event also included a special session on the industry's response to Hurricane Sandy and lessons learned from Rita and Katrina. Another timely session discussed what the election means for the FHA and the housing industry. Safeguard Properties is a large privately held mortgage field services company based in Valley View, Ohio. The company inspects and maintains defaulted and foreclosed properties for mortgage service companies, lenders, investors, and other financial institutions. KNOW THIS Zillow ranks three cities in Ohio as the top buyers' markets in the country—Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus are seeing more houses receiving multiple bids and an increase in home prices. VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM Oklahoma rank: 18 90+ Day Delinquency Rate Foreclosure Rate october 2012 2.23% Unemployment Rate 3.19% 5.3% year ago 2.24% 3.07% 6.3% percent point change -0.5% 4.0% -15.9% Top County 90+ Day Delinquency Rate AdAir COunTy Foreclosure Rate october 2012 4.18% 8.90% year ago 3.29% 8.84% percent point change 26.7% 0.8% Top Core-Based Statistical Area MCAleSTer, OK 90+ Day Delinquency Rate Foreclosure Rate october 2012 2.11% 6.15% year ago 1.84% 5.53% percent point change 14.2% 11.2% note: The 90+ Day delinquecy rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans that are 90plus days delinquent. The foreclosure rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans currently in foreclosure. State rank is based on the October 2012 foreclosure rate. All figures are rounded to the nearest decimal. The unemployment rate reflects preliminary October 2012 figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other data courtesy of Lender Processing Services. IN THE NEWS AmeriBid Grows Footprint with Acquisition of Two Auction Houses AmeriBid LLC, a real estate auction firm headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is expanding. The company has acquired National Commercial Auctioneers, LLC, along with its sister company National Residential Auctioneers, LLC—both of which are also based in Tulsa. AmeriBid is the cooperative creation of Schreyer; Stephen Karbelk, CAI, AARE; and Larry Latham, CAI—all industry veterans. Karbelk was a founder of National Commercial Auctioneers and National Residential Auctioneers while Schreyer and Latham previously acted as strategic advisors to both companies. The combined companies now fall under the AmeriBid brand umbrella. The acquisition included all processes, customer lists, physical assets, employee agreements, and agent agreements. 151

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