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» VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM 93 THE LEADER IN DEFAULT SERVICING NEWS Help shape the next issue of DS News. Drop us a line at Editor@DSNews.com. investments from affiliates of Eos Partners, L.P. and Seal Rock Partners—two New York- based private investment firms—that have partnered with the Consolidated Analytics' management team to support the company's growth strategy. "By reinvesting in our business, we can of- fer our clients more value, improved execution, and better customer experience," said Rudy Zabran, Chief Revenue Officer at Consoli- dated Analytics. "We have carefully planned out our growth path to ensure our clients stand to gain the most. Wells Fargo Gives Homebuyers a LIFT From homebuyer education to down pay- ment assistance, Wells Fargo's Neighborhood- LIFT program (LIFT program) in association with NeighborWorks America has invested $442 million since it began the program in 2012, creating nearly 20,000 homeowners across the U.S. e California-based bank said that through this investment it launched 67 LIFT programs to support sustainable housing, especially for low- and moderate-income buyers. "Owning a home is a primary driver of economic security and the cornerstone of the American Dream, yet access to affordable housing is a significant challenge in communi- ties across the country," said Tim Sloan, CEO and President, Wells Fargo. Looking at the impact of the program, an analysis by NeighborWorks America indicated that 61 percent of LIFT homeowners repre- sented low- and moderate-income households and that among the LIFT buyers surveyed, 42 percent paid less for housing than they did previously. "NeighborhoodLIFT is a terrific collab- orative success that makes homeownership achievable and sustainable," said Kim Smith- Moore, National LIFT programs Manager, Wells Fargo. "e program has made a real difference in the lives of nearly 20,000 people and families—with the majority of them representing underserved, low- and moderate- income households—by helping them prepare to be successful homeowners." e analysis also indicated that 80 percent of the people who bought a home through this program state that the homebuyer education service they received through LIFT would help them manage their finances. Wells Fargo said that more than 60,000 potential home- buyers had received housing counseling from a NeighborWorks network member engaged in LIFT programs. It also indicated that from the time it had started, the program has helped with the purchase of $2 billion in real estate. "e program is helping families meet the challenge of coming up with a sufficient down payment, and the required housing counsel- ing education classes are proven to help buyers both prepare and achieve their goals of respon- sible homeownership," said Marietta Rodri- guez, President and CEO of NeighborWorks America. "For families who do not currently qualify, financial education and counseling are offered to help prepare for future homeowner- ship." e program, which offers homebuyer education, as well as down payment assistance grants in local communities, first began in Los Angeles and Atlanta. In 2018, with a commit- ment of $75 million, the program expanded to Atlanta, New Mexico, Boston, Kansas City, Chicago, Des Moines, Mississippi, Char- lotte, and Orlando. Wells Fargo said that the program also added special parameters to enable hundreds of teachers, military service members, veterans, and first responders to achieve homeownership. COLORADO Where the Most Competitive Buyers Are e housing market has shown signs of cooling across the U.S. in 2019. However, some cities have remained competitive with buyers trying to outbid each other for properties. LendingTree recently ranked the top markets in the U.S. based on an average of the metro's rank in three categories that contributed to the competitiveness of homebuyers—share of buy- ers shopping for a mortgage before identifying the house they wanted, average down payment percentage, and percentage of buyers who had a good or excellent credit score. e average down payment percent in the top 10 of the 20 most competitive markets in the study was 16 percent—two points higher than that across all metros in the study. Denver led the charge among the top 10 competitive markets with 67 percent of buyers who shopped for a mortgage before settling on a house, 56 percent of buyers with prime credit with an average down payment at 16 percent. is was followed by Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Seattle, Sacramento, and Boston. Other key findings revealed that buy-

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