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» MORE THAN HALF OF YOUWALKAWAY CLIENTS PAST DUE BUT NOT IN FORECLOSURE YouWalkAway.com, a national foreclosure agency, recently released a June survey of its customers and found 54 percent are in pre-foreclosure, meaning they have defaulted on their mortgage but have not received an official foreclosure notice. The share is down from 2012, when 85 percent of YouWalkAway clients reported they were in preforeclosure. On average, clients who were in pre-foreclosure were 20 months behind on their mortgage payments. According to the agency, pre-foreclosures are typically unaccounted for since reliable data is hard to find. However, YouWalkAway was able to compile pre-foreclosure data based on its client base to gain a better understanding of how prevalent this type of "shadow inventory" might be. Data from the agency revealed Georgia has the highest share of YouWalkAway clients in preforeclosure, at 82 percent. On average, clients in the state were behind by 18 months, but still haven't been served with an official foreclosure notice. In Minnesota and Arizona, 79 and 74 percent of clients, respectively, were in pre-foreclosure status. Customers in those states were behind by more than 20 months. The state that saw the biggest year-over-year decrease in clients in pre-foreclosure inventory was Florida, where 23 percent of clients were in pre-foreclosure, down from 45 percent in 2012. The average number of months past due though increased from 17 months in 2012 to 23 months in 2013. MOVERS & SHAKERS VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 44 Allonhill Strengthens Business Development Team Allonhill expanded its business development team with the appointment of two managing directors of sales. With 20 years' experience in the mortgage industry, David Pike was hired to develop strategic opportunities to expand the company's products and services offerings and to build client relationships within the servicing sector. Previously, Pike served as mortgage servicing oversight director at Ally Bank. He also was SVP at Bank of America. Brian Sherman moved into a sales and business development role after previously working as Allonhill's primary client liaison to its private sector clients. In his new role, he will focuses on developing opportunities with current and new clients. Before joining the company, Sherman spent a decade working with institutional clients in the taxable fixed income markets at several firms including Credit Suisse, First Boston, and JPMorgan. Appraisal Institute Elects New VP The Appraisal Institute announced the election of a new VP to head the association of real estate appraisers. J. Scott Robinson, MAI, SRA, out of North Carolina will take on the role of 2014 VP beginning January 1. Robinson began his career in real property appraisal and consulting in 1987 at Robinson Associates, a firm in Salisbury, North Carolina, that was founded by his father. Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen Adds New Partner Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen named Carrie D. Mermis a partner. Mermis started with the firm six years ago and focuses in the area of bankruptcy. She is admitted to practice in Missouri and Georgia, as well as the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri, the Northern and Southern Districts of Georgia, and the District of Kansas. RE/MAX Associates of Dallas Under New Owner RE/MAX Associates of Dallas, which serves the North Texas area, is now under new ownership. Chuck Fleischer acquired the RE/MAX office located in Richardson, Texas. Fleischer brings 20 years' experience as an investor and six years as a Realtor. He first joined RE/MAX as a sales associate and team leader in November 2012. Freedman Anselmo Lindberg Names New Partners, Expands Presence Freedman Anselmo Lindberg (FAL) announced the appointment of four new partners along with the company's expansion into four new states.Douglas Oliver and Barbara Nilsen were promoted to partners. In their new roles, they will maintain current duties as managing attorneys of the litigation and collection practices but will also assist in the overall management and oversight of the firm. Oliver, who has more than 20 years' legal experience, first joined FAL as associate counsel in 2005. He was later appointed as managing attorney of the litigation practice. His areas of focus are foreclosures, collections, and real estate law. He is a graduate of Drake University Law School. Nilsen has been practicing for eight years and first joined FAL in 2006 as associate counsel. She was later promoted to managing attorney of the collection practice. She specializes in civil litigation, real estate, and foreclosure. She is a graduate of the John Marshall Law School. The firm also brought on two new partners— Daniel Cox and D. Anthony Sottile—to expand into Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan. Cox, who is licensed in Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan, focuses on commercial and residential foreclosures, creditors' rights litigation, and consumer collections. He has spent most of his legal career on compliance and default operations. Cox graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Sottile joins the firm with more than 10 years' experience. He is licensed in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, and he maintains licenses to practice federally in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan. Sottile graduated from Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law. Freedman Anselmo Lindberg is a full-service creditor's rights firm operating since 1980. The firm provides legal counsel related to retail consumer collections, creditor bankruptcy, and default services such as foreclosure, bankruptcy, eviction, litigation, loss mitigation, and REO along with residential and commercial origination settlement. Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors Welcomes New EVP The Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors selected Tessa Hultz, RCE, CAE, as its new EVP and CEO. She was also appointed president of the Triangle Multiple Listing Service, Inc. Before her appointment, Hultz served as CEO for the Wichita Area Association of Realtors and South Central Kansas MLS, a role she held for upwards of three years. KNOW THIS While credit today remains tight, Jed Kolko, Trulia's chief economist, says both higher rates and new mortgage rules could open up lending. Sentinel Field Services Selects New CEO to Lead Company Phil Johnsen was named CEO of Sentinel Field Services (SFS). He comes to SFS with extensive mortgage industry and technology experience. Prior to joining SFS, Johnsen served as CEO for NexTalk, a software technology company in Utah. He also held leadership roles with companies such as First American Title, DDN Mortgage Services, and Prommis Solutions. 47