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FROM OUR DESK default servicing | in print and online A New Ballgame As the days get longer and the temperature gets warmer, America welcomes yet another season of its favorite pastime: baseball. Scores of fans gather to watch their favorite players round the bases in hopes of winning a game. It's a familiar and comforting tradition, but it is not the same game of yesteryear. No, baseball is now a sport with technical enhancements and rule adjustments that make it a more efficient and entertaining game for all. Much like baseball, the default servicing industry has emerged onto a different playing field. While many well-known players have retired their jerseys, others—both veterans and rookies alike—are now coming up on the home stretch of what has been a long season of overcoming the challenges presented by the housing crisis. In this edition of DS News, we scout out the new lineup in the housing market game. Carrington Mortgage Services' John Alkire sizes up the new servicing landscape in his aptly titled feature "The Home Stretch." It's not just the internal makeup of the industry that has a new look—today's borrower has a distinctly different profile from previous eras. Our cover story explores what that new borrower—and more importantly, credit risk—looks like in the wake of the crisis as credit becomes more than a commodity and default risk becomes more of a priority. Could this new era of would-be buyers provide the boost needed to restore neighborhoods left derelict and abandoned in the wake of the foreclosure crisis? In "Zombie Land," Georgie Palafox of ZVN Properties takes a look at the risks and challenges investors, servicers, and their partners in the field face when dealing with vacant foreclosures. And with the sunset date of the GSEs' long-standing attorney networks approaching on June 1, Jerry Alt of Shapiro Brown & Alt, LLP, and the LOGS Network explains how this shift came about and shares his insight on what servicers and their foreclosure counsel can do to adjust to the new rules of the game. We also showcase nine burgeoning leaders in the property valuation field. These upto-bat businesses are going the extra mile to make sure their clients hit a home run when it comes to delivering accurate value assessments. As always, in order for DS News to continue to serve as the No. 1 destination for informative, relevant, provocative content that furthers default servicing's most impactful discussions, we need to hear from you. Find us on our social media channels or send an email to editor@dsnews.com to share your experiences, challenges, and successes. Of course, you can always stop by and share your insight with us in person at the 10th Annual Five Star Conference, September 8–10 in Dallas. We'd love to see you there. For more information and to reserve your seat at this year's most impactful, business-building conference, visit TheFiveStar.com/FSC. Until then, aim high and batter up! Your DS News Editorial Team 2 for me rly PUBLISHER EDITORIAL DIRECTOR DSNEWS.COM EDITOR DSNEWS.COM VIDEO EDITOR STAFF WRITER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS COPY EDITORS EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD DESIGN ADVERTISING DS NEWS BLACK BOOK AND LEGAL LEAGUE 100 SOCIAL MEDIA CIRCULATION vol. 11 no. 5 magazine Mark Hulme Carrie Bay Esther Cho Jordan Funderburk Tory Barringer John Alkire, Jerry Alt, Lynn Effinger, Georgie Palafox, Randy Wussler Heather Hill, Alison Rich, Cassie Smith, Emily White Youree Jerry Alt, LOGS Network Amy Crews Cutts, PhD, Equifax Steven Horne, Wingspan Portfolio Advisors Jeffrey Jaffee, CitiMortgage Rick Sharga, Carrington Mortgage Holdings David A. Trott, Esq.,Trott & Trott P.C. 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