DS News

88 after delinquents. Officials are urging taxpayers to contact them before their tax due date. "We're trying to break the cycle of delin- quency," Dixon said. TEXAS Five Star Conference: Where Business Gets Done e Five Star Conference Expo Hall opened September 18 in Dallas, bringing lend- ers, servicers, and a number of other mortgage professionals together under one roof. "Include," the 2017 conference theme, was a topic widely discussed at the DS News and MReport booth, where attendees explained its importance. "We like the networking opportunities and being able to connect with different compa- nies from a strategic standpoint," said Kiyoshi Hunt, SVP of ZVN Properties. "We can meet a lot of the needs our clients have,maybe uncover some things we didn't know, and learn about different perspectives." Tim Rath, Director of Supply Chain and Vendor Management from Safeguard Proper- ties, also enjoyed the camaraderie and diversity of the Expo Hall. "If you just look around at the industry, there are a number of different people from different walks of life that are here and have a number of different roles," Rath said. "I think the Five Star does a great job of encouraging everyone from different phases of our industry to come under one roof together." Brig. Gen. John I. Pray is President and CEO of Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families. Pray had a chance to stop by the DS News and MReport booth in the expo hall to discuss many attendees' favorite event of the conference: e Military Heroes Keys for Life Dinner. e event, during which Operation Homefront and the Five Star Institute present five military veterans with a mortgage-free home, was followed by a concert from rock band Styx. "It means the world to be able to do this," Pray said. "When you think about it from their perspective, it is literally life-changing. It will give them the firm foundation upon which to build a very bright future." Army Sgt. Matthew R. Gaff and his fam- ily; Airman First Class Ryan Hampe and his family; Navy Seaman Shynae Murphy and her family; Army Specialist Kenyetta Cooper and her family; and Army Specialist Marchalle Couch were the recipients of the homes, which Ten-X Executive Chairman and Co-Founder Jeff Frieden helped facilitate. "I will not stop until we have no homeless vets," said Frieden. Proctor Financial Lends Aid to Harvey Homeowners Proctor Financial, a provider of lender- placed insurance, announced how it will be helping efforts in Southeast Texas due to Hur- ricane Harvey. Proctor has: created a donations drive in which Proctor will match all donations from teammates; launched an on-site support center in Houston to assist its client's borrowers with insurance and other assistance; and assisted in compliance communications to servicers about what regulators are saying and how it impacts their properties & borrowers in affected areas. Proctor Financial has 1,500 clients nation- wide with more than 45 years of experience in the industry. e company is known for its technology-driven solutions, collaborative partnerships, and customer service. It performs all insurance, tracking, and servicing functions at its headquarters in Troy, Michigan Assurant Committed to Relief Efforts e devastating aftermath of Hurricane Harvey has Assurant, a risk management solutions company, responding to the extensive homeowner and flood insurance claims from Texas and Louisiana. According to Assurant, the company's First Response Team is prioritizing claims and inquiries from areas impacted by Harvey, with an emphasis on property and flood insurance policies. "Since Harvey made landfall, our employ- ees have been working to support customers with property damaged by this unprecedented hurricane, always focusing on how we can best help them navigate the many hardships storms like this can bring," said Michael Campbell, President of Global Home at Assurant. e company noted that it wants its customers to know it is committed to assisting clients through the recovery and rebuilding process, as inside adjusters have been working with policyholders since Harvey first made im- pact. Also, mobile claims teams are in the field and will be participating in state-run insurance claim locations. In addition, the Assurant Foundation, the charitable arm of Assurant, Inc. announced a $100,000 contribution to the American Red Cross for its Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. "All of us at Assurant appreciate the extensive work the American Red Cross does to help those impacted by natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey, and we remain committed to supporting their mission," Campbell said Chronos Offers Data Recently Excluded from Credit Reports Chronos Solutions, a Coppell, Texas-based real estate financial services provider, an- nounced a new offering in September aimed at providing lenders information that was recently removed from credit reports. Starting in July, national credit reporting agencies were no longer permitted to include liens and civil judgment data in their credit reports. e change came as the result of a civil action suit that claimed inclusion of lien and judgment data can wrongfully lower a consumer's credit score by up to 100 points. However, "liens and civil judgment records remain vital indicators of creditworthiness and the loss of them has increased lender exposure to risk," according to Chronos Solutions. e company set out to fill the void in lender information by offering a lien and judg- ment addendum to its Funding Suite Report. Lenders can purchase the addendum as an add-on to Chronos' Funding Suite Report or as an independent purchase. "Now, without any connection to the consumer's credit scores, lenders—without having to research it manually—have access to the data they need to make a solid decision," a Chronos press release announced. Mortgage Contracting Services Completes SOC 2 Exam Texas-based Mortgage Contracting Ser- vices (MCS) announced in September that the company has completed its Service Organiza- tion Control, SOC 2 examination. "We are excited to have successfully com- pleted the SOC 2 examination process, as it

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