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March 2016 - Castro Up Close

DSNews delivers stories, ideas, links, companies, people, events, and videos impacting the mortgage default servicing industry.

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16 ON THE WEB WEBSITES TO GET TO KNOW. BOOKER is an all-in-one local service commerce platform that allows clients to get a complete view of their entire business in one place; the site offers functionality to manage each part of the customer lifecycle, from end to end. Use Booker to attract new customers online and on partner sites, like Yelp; book appointments online or via mobile or social media; sell by point-of-sale, eCommerce, or online gift cards; manage data with easy-to-use tracking and reporting tools; and retain customer relationships and grow your revenue. Also, learn how to leverage both Facebook and Google for maximum visibility. BITRIX24 is a complete suite of social collaboration, communication and management tools for organizations. e site includes such business management features as invoicing, human resources, sales, online meetings, group chat and video, delegating and coordinating tasks and projects, document management, calendar and planning, and much more. Bitrix24 also includes a social intranet and an activity stream—an interactive update feed where users can see all the changes and additions to the intranet. At the basic level, Bitrix24 is free to use with a package that includes 5 GB of online storage and 35+ business tools for service of up to 12 employees. WORKETC is an all-in-one cloud computing platform with integrated CRM, projects, billing, help desk, reporting, and collaboration. It is a single software solution that eliminates the need for complicated integrations and multiple costly Web apps by providing a single software solution. Use WORKetc from anywhere; the site makes it easy to bring remote teams together. With WORKetc, use one support system instead of many for training and supporting and keep everyone on the same page. e site also allows users to drill down into every single customer interaction. BITRIX24.COM 2 BOOKER.COM 1 WORKETC.COM 3 TREASURY TO PROVIDE MORE TARP FUNDS FOR HARDEST HIT COMMUNITIES e U.S. Department of Treasury announced on Friday that it would provide up to $2 billion in additional Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds for the Hardest Hit Fund (HHF) program to put toward assisting struggling homeowners and stabilizing communities that were most affected by the foreclosure crisis. Using the latest round of funding, participating state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) will be able to provide assistance for the hardest hit communities. is will be the fifth round of HHF funding. According to Treasury, the deadline for states receiving additional funding to utilize those funds is extended by three years; those states now have until December 31, 2020, to utilize the funds. "Today's announcement is the next step in the Administration's effort to help struggling homeowners recover from the financial crisis and strengthen the housing recovery," said Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew. "anks to a bipartisan group of members of Congress who helped secure additional funding for the Hardest Hit Fund, we will be able to provide significant resources to hard-hit states and target these critical resources toward programs that we know have helped Americans avoid foreclosure, and stabilized housing markets, including blight elimination programs." In the first phase, $1 billion will be allocated according to a state's population and according to how states have utilized their HHF funds. HFAs must have used at least 50 percent of their existing HHF allocation in order to qualify for the first phase of funding, and states that have demonstrated the ability to effectively deploy their HHF funds will receive priority consideration in the first phase. All participating HFAs are eligible to apply to receive funds in the second phase of allocation. HFAs attempting to receive funds in the second phase of allocation are permitted to request either $250 million or 50 percent of their existing HHF allocation, whichever is lower, and they have until March 11, 2016, to submit their applications. HFAs that will receive consideration to receive funds in the second round of allocation are those that have significant ongoing needs as far as foreclosure prevention and neighborhood stabilization, a proven track record in utilizing funds, and successful program models to address those needs, according to Treasury. e recipients of the second phase of allocations will be announced in April. "While the housing market has strengthened in recent years, there are still many homeowners and neighborhoods experiencing the negative effects of the financial crisis," said Mark McArdle, Treasury's Deputy Assistant Secretary of Financial Stability. "e additional HHF funds authorized by Congress will allow states to continue their efforts to stabilize local communities and help struggling families avoid foreclosure."

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