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Bank, Bank of America, Citibank, GMAC Mortgage, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, MetLife Bank, Morgan Stanley, PNC, Sovereign, SunTrust, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. NTC Earns Higher Ranking on Inc. 500|5000 Nationwide Title Clearing, Inc. (NTC), landed a spot on Inc.'s 500|5000 list again this year, coming in hundreds of rankings higher than in 2012—despite the fact that the nation's economic growth rate so far has been underwhelming. According to an announcement from the Florida-based company, NTC was ranked No. 1,900 on Inc.'s list, moving up 830 spots from the position it held last year. To qualify, NTC had to meet a number of criteria, including having generated at least $200,000 in revenue in 2009 and at least $2 million in 2012. "It is very encouraging to be recognized among other nationally ranked companies on this prestigious list—our employees have been working extremely hard for years to establish and perfect the systems we have in place," said NTC CEO John Hillman. "Collectively, we consider this award an honor and a testament to our hard work." To celebrate its achievement, NTC has been invited to attend the exclusive 32nd Annual Inc. 500|5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony, an annual three-day event that brings some of the nation's most successful business minds together. The event is held October 10–12 in Washington, D.C. Do Natural Disasters Lead to Loan Default in High-Risk Miami? Homeowners whose homes are located in designated flood zones are required to purchase flood insurance, and others in areas where natural disasters are common may also be required to insure against those risks.  However, CoreLogic economists recently asked if that is enough to guard against the risks posed by natural disasters. In particular, they asked, are homeowners more likely to default when natural disaster strikes? The answer, in short, is "yes."  "Our research demonstrates that borrowers, after controlling for their propensity to 78 default based on traditional mortgage credit characteristics, default at a higher rate the higher the propensity of natural disaster is at the property level," CoreLogic economists Katie Dobbyn and Mark Fleming wrote in their article, "The Nature of Risk." The likelihood of default due to natural disaster on a loan that bears a high risk for natural disaster is nearly double that of a similar loan in a low-risk area, according to CoreLogic.  "By comparison, the propensity to default because of lack of equity, as measured by origination LTV [loan to value ratio], of a high-LTV loan is a little over double that of the propensity for a low-risk loan," the economists stated. In other words, the risk is similar to other standards traditionally accounted for in loan underwriting.  Miami, Florida, ranked as the riskiest market for natural hazards. In fact, a majority of the top 20 riskiest markets for natural hazard, according to CoreLogic, are located in Florida or California. "The cost of not doing so is far too high. Natural hazard risk is another new frontier of risk management requiring ongoing attention," the economists concluded. Georgia rank: 30 90+ Day Delinquency Rate Foreclosure Rate July 2013 3.4% Unemployment Rate 1.6% 8.8% year ago 4.1% 2.6% 9.1% year-over-year change -18.4% -35.4% -3.3% Top County Wilkinson CounTy 90+ Day Delinquency Rate July 2013 5.8% Foreclosure Rate 3.8% year ago 4.3% 3.0% year-over-year change 34.7% 27.9% Top Core-Based statistical Area ThomAsTon, GA 90+ Day Delinquency Rate Foreclosure Rate July 2013 4.7% 3.1% year ago 5.9% 3.4% year-over-year change -20.2% -9.7% note: The 90+ day delinquecy rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans that are seriously delinquent. The foreclosure rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans currently in foreclosure. State rank is based on the July 2013 foreclosure rate. All figures are rounded to the nearest decimal. The unemployment rate reflects preliminary July 2013 figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other data courtesy of LPS Data & Analytics. Georgia Marc Oppenheimer Associate Broker, CDPE / BPOR Serving REO Since 1987 1854 Independence Square, Suite D Atlanta, GA 30338 Phone: (770) 668-0063 Cell: (678) 296-6550 oppy@atlantareo.com www.atlantareo.com IN THE NEWS Altisource Announces Deal to Buy Equator Altisource Portfolio Solutions announced plans in late August to acquire Equator for up to $150 million. The deal is valued at $70 million on closing and includes contingent earn-out consideration of up to $80 million over three years. Altisource is a global provider of services for the real estate, mortgage, and consumer debt industries. Its global headquarters is in Luxembourg, and its U.S. center of operations is located in the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw. Equator is a Los Angeles-based software solutions provider for the mortgage and real estate industries. Altisource says Equator will retain its name, offices, and management team. According to the company's announcement, customers who rely on Equator's marketplace platform include the GSEs, more than 460,000 real estate agents, 20,000 service providers, and four of the top six mortgage servicers in the United States.  "Equator and Altisource have a shared vision for enabling the real estate marketplace of the future with a common, modern technology platform that reduces friction, enhances compliance, and creates transparency for all participants," said Chris Saitta, CEO of Equator. "Our combined technical and financial strength means that our customers can look forward to more rapid product innovation and responsiveness to industry changes on EQ platforms." William B. Shepro, CEO of Altisource, says the acquisition expands his company's client list. "The Equator brand and management team are an essential part of the acquisition. Equator will join the Altisource family of businesses and operate within our technology services segment," Shepro added.

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