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58 ing the housing market. e upward mobility pressure applied by immigrants on housing may slacken during the political upheaval. e longer the issue remains on the front burner without a solution, the more this pressure will slacken. While more economists are predicting a slow-down, domestic energy independence will help offset consumer fears, and variations in the spectrum of housing bubbles across the country by state and community will offer opportuni- ties for flexible companies to take advantage of available pools of funds, albeit at slightly higher prices, than traditional institutional funds. e heat in the market should also marginalize foreclosure purchase opportunities, but not as much as in 2006. Should excess marginaliza- tion occur, however, the mini-bubbles in some states will have merged across state lines, so beware. TITLE BRIAN CULLEN CEO, SingleSource At SingleSource, we see the Title and Settlement market staying at levels that will be similar to those we processed in 2016. If there is an increase, it will most likely be under 5 percent. We expect the current business dynamic to remain stable and, therefore, do not expect to see a change. As rates start to rise, the purchase market will continue to outpace the refinance market. Even with home appreciation starting to slow, we still believe the Home Equity market will continue to remain very active. One of the areas of focus in title and settle- ment for 2017 will be the increased presence of technology in our day to day operations. is will be especially true for firms that operate in multiple states or regions. By utilizing the current technology that is available, such as a mobile closing application, national service providers, such as SingleSource, can pres- ent their clients with better communication and additional transparency. is has had the positive impact of expanding service levels and increasing quality. By utilizing our SingleSource Closing App, our settlement agents can keep our clients updated in real-time by providing information such as when they arrive at the clos- ing site and when they complete the transaction. Our settlement agents also utilize the app to expedite the shipping of documents back to our office. is type of technology can also assist our client relations team, as it notifies them of the status of the closing. Providing them with more timely information makes them more productive overall. In addition, they can better help a Notary or Attorney if a situation should arise where changes need to be made. Other industry issues from 2016, like the im- pact of TRID, have become more normalized in title and settlement, especially when compared to this time last year. Without a doubt, days to close have increased on conventional purchases, but the industry as a whole has adjusted. We have started to see these impacts reflected in purchase agreements that are submitted by our Realtors. Another factor facing our title and settlement business will be the unknown impacts of a changing environment in Washing- ton. How will the recent election impact us all in regards to legislative and regulatory issues? is measurement is harder to project, but even in this changing landscape, we expect to continue to see steady volume in the document manage- ment and loan modification markets. PROPERTY PRESERVATION SAM TUCCI VP Business Operations, U.S. Best Repair Service We are stretching into the third-longest recovery without a recession since the Great Depression. Although the default rate has dropped to the lowest level since 2007, many economists point to indicators of a recession by 2018, perhaps as early as 2017. In addition to threats of another recession, loan modification rate hikes are entering their third and fourth years, adding greater financial stress to nearly 750,000 homeowners. It's likely that modification resets and defaults will increase into 2017. Whichever the economic outcome, US Best Repairs, and the industry, will continue to move towards mobile technology for greater risk management, real-time and verifiable data, and streamlined transactions. Innovative technol- ogy has removed a lot of the agony of waiting for results to return from the field, and mobile devices have improved communications, effi- ciency, and transparency. Mobile technology also has the advantage of showing us which person EXPERT OPINION "One of the areas of focus in title and settlement for 2017 will be the increased presence of technology in our day to day operations." –BRIAN CULLEN EXPERT OPINION "We don't know what is going to happen to the CFPB in 2017, but we do know that compliance will always be a huge part of our business." –SAM TUCCI

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